Mumbai Open | Prozorova makes light of an injury to tame Sidorova

Despite an injury scare that struck at the worst possible moment and the weight of intense humidity, Russia’s Tatiana Prozorova produced a stirring display to thump Kristiana Sidorova 6-4, 6-1 in the round-of-16 and move into the quarterfinals of the L&T Mumbai Open 125K Series at the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association courts here on Thursday.

From the outset, Prozorova was in command and dictated play with heavy cross-court forehands, opened the court with the backhand down the line, and consistently disrupted Sidorova’s timing. Sidorova never quite found her rhythm, mistiming routine groundstrokes and struggling to settle into rallies as Prozorova mixed depth with subtle variations. With assured net play and firm volleys, Prozorova surged ahead to pocket the opening set 6-4.

Just before the second set began, the contest took an unexpected turn. Prozorova pulled a muscle in her left thigh and returned to the court heavily taped, her movement visibly restricted. For a fleeting moment, Sidorova sensed an opening as Prozorova conceded a game while testing her leg, relying on slices to stay afloat.

What followed, however, was a striking shift in momentum. Prozorova began shortening points with bold returns and stepping inside the baseline to strike flat forehands into the corners. She used angled backhands to stretch Sidorova wide, finishing points with crisp volleys and the occasional teasing lob.

Any hope Sidorova harboured faded away as Prozorova reeled off four games on the trot, sealing the second set 6-1 with a flurry of cross-court winners and unreturnable serves to march into the quarterfinals.

Other Results: Singles (round-of-16): Tian Fangran Tian (Chn) bt Hanne Vandewinkel (Bel) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4; Lanlana Tararudee (Tha) bt Park So-hyun (Kor) 3-6, 6-3, 6-0; Lilli Tagger (Aut) bt Eri Shimizu (Jpn) 6-2, 6-2.

Doubles (quarterfinals): Nicole Fossa Huergo (Arg) & Mananchaya Sawangkaew (Tha) bt Rutuja Bhosale & Peangtarn Plipuech (Tha) 4-6, 6-1(9).