ENS, Tumakuru: Top seed Justina Mikulskytė was crowned champion of the ITF W35 Tumakuru Open on Sunday after second seed Zuzanna Pawlikowska was forced to retire due to injury in the singles final at the Tumakuru District Tennis Association courts.
Pawlikowska, who had already withdrawn from the doubles final on Saturday owing to a shoulder injury, showed tremendous courage by taking the court for the title clash despite the discomfort.
However, after the opening game, the Polish player was unable to continue, bringing a premature end to the summit clash and disappointing the large gathering of spectators who had turned up expecting a thrilling finale between the top two seeds.
The title marked the eighth ITF singles crown for Mikulskytė, adding another milestone to an impressive season on the international circuit.
Along with the trophy, the Lithuanian pocketed a winner’s cheque of USD 4,860 and earned 35 valuable WTA ranking points. Pawlikowska, meanwhile, received USD 2,637 and 23 WTA points for finishing runner-up.
Speaking at the ceremony, Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara, who had contributed USD 30,000 towards the prize money, reiterated his vision of promoting sports among the youth and transforming Tumakuru into a sporting hub.
“I want to see a drug-free state and one of the best ways to engage youngsters positively is through sports. It is our vision to transform Tumakuru into a sports city by creating opportunities and infrastructure for athletes,” he said.
Sunil Yajaman, Joint Secretary of AITA and KSLTA, Kannika Parameshwar, DC Subha Kalyan, Ashok KV, Superintendent of Police, BV Ashwija, CEO of Zilla Panchayat, G R Amarnath, Tournament Director and President of Tumakuru District Tennis Stadium, and Supreeth Kadavigere, ITF Supervisor, were present.
Results: Women’s singles final: Justina Mikulskytė (LTU) beat Zuzanna Pawlikowska (POL) 1-0 (retired).