Bidar, Oct 2 (IANS) Unseeded Varunya Wongteanchai of Thailand defeated Prerna Bhambri 7-5, 6-3 to move into the second round of the Ashok Kheny $10,000 ITF Bidar Open Women's futures tennis championship at the Police Training School courts here Tuesday.
The Thai girl played well with solid ground strokes and dictated the pace to put pressure on Prerna, who was on the defensive throughout the rubber.
Prerna, who last week won the ITF Gulbarga Open made a few unforced errors and failed to score on big points as Varunya kept her in check with deep returns.
In the first set, the two traded early breaks but Prerna surged ahead to 4-1 after breaking her rival in the fourth game.
Varunya hit back in the second game and levelled the set 4-all. A decisive turn came in the eleventh game when Prerna, trailing 0-40, dropped the serve netting a drop volley and Varunya closed the set on her serve.
In the second set, Varunya broke Prerna in the third and fifth game and later took a 5-1 lead.
Later, Prerna attacked well to break her rival in the eighth game and cut the deficit to 3-5. But there was no stopping Varunya as she rolled to a 6-3 victory.
The top seed Wing Yau Venise Chan beat Thai opponent Napatsakorn Sankeaw 6-1, 6-3 to enter the second round. Chia Hsien Yang of Chinese Taipei also moved ahead beating Agathe Timsit of France 6-4, 6-4.
Gulbarga Open finalist Zi Yang also moved to the second round with an easy win over Japanese Risa Hasegawa 6-2, 6-3.
First round singles results:
Venise Chan Wing-Yau (HKG) bt Napatsakorn Sankaew (THA) 6-1, 6-0; Varunya wongteanchai (THA) bt Prerna Bhambri (IND) 7-5, 6-3; Chia Hsien Yang (TPE) bt Agathe Timsit (FRA) 6-4, 6-4; Zi Yang (CHN) bt Risa Hasegawa (JPN) 6-2, 6-3; Yumi Miyazaki (JPN) bt Natasha Palha (IND) 6-0, 6-3.