Vaishnavi Adkar
The Indian couldn’t cope with it as she lost 3-6, 0-6 to Zakharova who made her way to the quarter-finals of the WTA 250 Chennai Open on Thursday. Trailing by a break at 1-2, Vaishnavi’s two backhand returns off the first serve saw Zakharova get a taste of her own medicine. Unforced errors continued to haunt Vaishnavi, who committed 32 in the match, compared to her opponent’s 19. At 1-4 down, Vaishnavi failed to convert three break-point opportunities. 1 took a medical timeout, during which her left thigh was heavily strapped.
CHENNAI: The intensity with which seventh seed Anastasia Zakharova played was something Vaishnavi Adkar has rarely experienced. Zakharova’s powerful groundstrokes, both of the forehand and backhand, never allowed the Indian to settle down. For a brief period in the first set, however, it looked like Vaishnavi was enjoying the pace of Zakharova’s shots. But the Russian took that in her stride, taking the game after Vaishnavi committed a forehand error. Vaishnavi squandered her advantage with a routine backhand that failed to clear the net, allowing Zakharova to move ahead. After the sixth game, the India No.