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Dzehalevich clinches title

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Unseeded Ekaterina Dzehalevich of Belarus bounced back from an indifferent start to outplay fourth seed Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the $50,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament at the DLTA Complex here on Saturday.

Playing a crafty game with a lot of variation and sporting a gutsy attitude, the 21-year-old Dzelahevich turned the match around with a break in the second game of the second set that proved good enough to help her even the scores.

Slow start

After having stumbled to a slow start when she was a mute witness to the tall and powerfully built 18-year-old Belgian smashing her way to a 4-0 lead, it was a solid effort from Dzehalevich who had to be just content with her retrieving skill initially.

Into the decider, Dzehalevich did very well to save a break point in the second game with a smart lob and broke her opponent in the next game to take a 2-1 lead.

Thereafter, Wickmayer tried her best to hit her way past trouble, but Dzehalevich was too sharp to slacken her grip over the proceedings.

Dzehalevich broke the Belgian in the seventh game as well and served out the match in the next game, smacking a forehand down the line on the fourth match point.

It was the third singles title for Dzehalevich in the ITF women’s circuit and first at this level.

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