India's Ankita Raina hammered compatriot Eetee Maheta 6-3, 6-2 to lift the USD 10,000 ITF women's singles tennis tournament, here today.
Second seed Ankita, who was playing in her fifth consecutive USD 10,000 ITF singles' final, was hardly troubled by the unseeded Maheta in the battle of baseliners.
The world number 364 was the first to get off the block and raced to a 4-1 lead. Though Maheta tried to make a comeback by breaking Ankita's serve in the sixth game and held her serve on seventh, the eventual champion was in no mood for charity.
The PYC Gymkhana trainee quickly brushed off the hiccup by winning the next five games to kill any chances of a contest.
The victory also gave Ankita valuable 12 WTA ranking points.
"This victory is very important for me as it gives me the confidence to go and play the USD 25000 and USD 50000 tournaments now," said Ankita, who reached the final of the USD 25000 tournament in Karshi, Uzbekistan earlier this month.
"I will also take this opportunity to thank Lakshya and Bharat Forge who have been supporting me for the last three years and helped me become the top ranked player in the country," she added.
