Kalaburagi (Karnataka), February 25 Rising star Vaishnavi Adkar will be among a number of Indian players participating in the ITF W35 Kalaburagi tournament, the largest international women's tennis tournament to be held here from March 1 to 8.
The USD 30,000 tournament, part of the ITF Women's World Tennis Tour, marks the city's first-ever ITF W35-level professional event for women.
The tournament, to be held at the Chandrashekar Patil Stadium, will feature a 32-player singles main draw, preceded by a 32-player qualifying event starting on March 1, along with a 16-team doubles draw. Main draw matches will begin on March 3.
As an ITF W35-category event, it offers valuable ranking points and an important opportunity for players aspiring to progress to higher-tier competitions, including the WTA Tour.
The event has attracted a competitive international field from 11 countries, including Thailand's Achisa Chanta (WR 443) and Netherlands' Jasmijn Gimbrere (WR 431).
There is also a strong Indian presence in the singles main draw, led by Vaishnavi, who recently climbed to India's No. 2 and made history at last week's ITF Women's Open W100 in Bengaluru. She became the first Indian woman since Sania Mirza in 2009 to reach an ITF W100 level or higher singles final.
She is joined by Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty and Ankita Raina, both of whom also delivered impressive performances last week in Bengaluru. Other players in the main draw include Zeel Desai, Akanksha Dileep Nitture, Shruti Ahlawat, and Sonal Patil.
The city has previously hosted ITF Women's USD 10,000 events in 2012 and two successive editions in 2015.
