ITF Women’s Bengaluru Open: Sara Bejlek ends Sahaja Yamalapalli’s impressive run

Eighth seed Sara Bejlek halted Sahaja Yamalapalli’s run in the quarterfinals of the $100,000 KPB Trust Women’s Open tennis tournament at the KSLTA courts here on Thursday.

Sahaja (world no. 315), who had defeated two higher ranked opponents in her previous rounds, found her match in Bejlek (world no. 155). The 18-year-old Czech player produced winners on the big points and displayed fine court coverage.

Sahaja stayed in the hunt with her aggressive game plan, but a slew of unforced errors proved to be her undoing. It was, nevertheless, a good week for the 24-year-old Indian, who will next compete in the $70,000 ITF tournament at Pune.

In the semifinal, Bejlek will take on Leolia Jeanjean, who scored a come-from-behind 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 win over second-seed Rebecca Marino of Canada.

A fiery Jeanjean – very comfortable showing a range of emotions on the court – willed herself into the contest.

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Standing tall at six feet, Marino got her serves to kick up to Jeanjean’s shoulder, but the Frenchwoman did well to get her returns deep.

In the other last-four, top-seed Tatjana Maria of Germany will face Czech Republic’s Linda Fruhvirtova.

Maria made the most of a match-up advantage to shut down Thailand’s Lanlana Tararudee 6-2, 6-2. With expertly placed slices to all corners of the court, Maria forced Tararudee to abandon her flat, hard groundstrokes. Taken completely out of her comfort zone, the 20-year-old Thailand player cut a frustrated figure.

Fruhvirtova held her nerve to defeat Slovenia’s Dalila Jakupovic 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. The results: