Raina-Robbe Partnership Delivers Doubles Crown in Portugal

Indian tennis star Ankita Raina showcased her doubles prowess at the ITF W50 tournament in Guimaraes, Portugal, capturing the title alongside French partner Alice Robbe despite facing narrow exit in the singles draw.

Doubles Triumph

Raina and Robbe, seeded fourth in the doubles event, delivered a commanding performance throughout the tournament. Their campaign began with a dominant 6-0, 6-1 victory over South African pair Warona Mdlulwa and Wozuko Mdlulwa in the opening round, setting the tone for their successful run. The Indo-French duo continued their momentum in the quarterfinals, defeating Spanish pair Maria Martinez Vaquero and Alba Rey Garcia 6-3, 6-4.

The semifinals presented a tougher challenge against second seeds Gabriella Da Silva Fick and Elena Micic from Australia, but Raina and Robbe rose to the occasion, securing a hard-fought 7-5, 7-6(7) victory.

The final proved to be the tournament’s most dramatic encounter. Facing third seeds Hiromi Abe and Kanako Morisaki from Japan, Raina and Robbe found themselves trailing after dropping the first set 1-6. However, they demonstrated remarkable resilience, fighting back to claim the second set 6-4 and ultimately prevailing in a thrilling match tiebreak 10-8 to secure the title.

Singles Campaign

Raina’s singles campaign ended in the first round in a closely contested three-set battle. The eighth-seeded Indian, ranked 339th in the world, faced Poland’s Weronika Ewald (ranked 602) in what proved to be a match of fine margins. After holding a set point in the opening set, Raina narrowly lost the tiebreak 6-7(7), before bouncing back strongly to claim the second set 6-4. However, Ewald proved resilient in the decider, taking the final set 6-2 to advance.

The match demonstrated the competitive nature of professional tennis, where small margins often determine outcomes. Despite the result, Raina showed her fighting qualities by recovering from the tight first set loss to level the match, highlighting her mental strength under pressure.

Tournament Significance

The ITF W50 Guimaraes represents an important level of professional tennis, offering valuable ranking points and prize money. For Raina, the doubles title adds to her growing collection of professional achievements and demonstrates her continued competitiveness on the international circuit.

The partnership with Alice Robbe proved particularly effective, with the pair showing excellent chemistry and tactical awareness throughout their five matches. Their ability to recover from a set down in the final showcased the mental toughness required at the professional level.