India’s No. 1 Rutuja Bhosale Headlines Doubles Main Draw For Mumbai Open WTA 125K Series

India’s No. 1 Rutuja Bhosale headlines doubles Main Draw for Mumbai Open WTA 125K Series (Image Source: IANS)

Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association: The Doubles Main Draw for the fifth edition of the Mumbai Open WTA 125K Series was revealed at the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) on Tuesday. India’s Rutuja Bhosale will team up with Thailand’s Peangtarn Plipuech, seeded number one, in the tournament scheduled from February 4 to 8 at MSLTA.

India’s No. 4 and No. 5 Women’s Doubles players, Ankita Raina and Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, will team up to face France’s Leolia Jeanjean and Japan’s Naima Karamoko. Meanwhile, India’s No. 2 Women’s Doubles player, Prarthana Thombare, will partner with 21-year-old Alevtina Ibragimova. They will compete against the second seed pair, Elena Pridanika (ranked World No. 75 in Doubles) and Polina Iatcenko.

Rutuja aims to win this tournament, having nearly advanced in her last two events—reaching the semi-finals at the Maharashtra Open and finishing as Runner-Up in the WTA 125K Series in Jinan, China. She and Plipuech will face Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew and Argentina’s Nicole Fossa Huergo.

Speaking about the Mumbai Open happening at the MSLTA, the 29-year-old said, “I have been playing at MSLTA since I was 10 years old, so to see a WTA event happening here, it simply feels unreal. It’s extremely exciting to see venues like the MSLTA provide a platform for the growth of tennis in India.”

Prarthana Thombare, the runner-up in the last edition, aims to build on her recent success at the Mumbai Open. After an impressive 2025, which saw her reach the semi-finals of the WTA 125K Series in Turkey and finish as the runner-up in WTA Newport, USA, she is eager to capitalize on the support of her home crowd advantage.

Speaking about the Mumbai Open happening at the MSLTA, the 29-year-old said, “I have been playing at MSLTA since I was 10 years old, so to see a WTA event happening here, it simply feels unreal. It’s extremely exciting to see venues like the MSLTA provide a platform for the growth of tennis in India.”

Darja Semenistaja, the 2024 Singles champion, will compete in doubles alongside Zuzzana Pawlikowska, facing Japan’s Hiroko Kuwata and South Korea’s Sohyun Park. Mananchaya Sawangkaew, last season’s Singles Runner Up, and Leolia Jeanjean, the current third seed in the Singles draw, will also participate in the doubles event.

Article Source: IANS