Ankita Raina, Karman Kaur Thandi set to spearhead India's challenge

BENGALURU: After the successful completion of the Bengaluru Open 2023, the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) is all set to host another tennis tournament, the ITF Women's Open, a $40k event, scheduled from March 6 to 12 at the KSLTA Stadium in Bengaluru.

A clutch of tennis stars from India and from around the world will headline the tournament, which is part of the ITF Women's World Tennis Tour. India's No. 1 Ankita Raina and Karman Kaur Thandi, a World No. 267, will spearhead the country's challenge.

"It was a great time for tennis fans during the Bengaluru Open 2023 and we are ready to bring another week full of exciting tennis action with ITF Women's Open. We welcome KPB Family Trust and KP Balaraj, an ardent supporter of the sport, as title sponsor. We will see some top-class players in action and it will be a treat for the fans.

Above all, this underlines the status of Bengaluru and KSLTA as one of the premier tennis destinations in the country," said Maheshwar Rao, IAS, Honorary Secretary of KSLTA, according to a release.

A lot of focus will be on World No. 163 Brenda Fruhvirtova of Czech Republic, who will also be seen in action. The 15-year-old Brenda had appeared in the Australian Open 2023 main draw in January.

Former World No. 30 Misaki Doi of Japan, France's Amandine Hesse and Valentini Grammatikopoulou of Greece are among the other international players participating at the event. The main draw of the ITF Women's Open will be held from March 7 while the qualifiers are set to play on March 5 and 6.