American Jessie Aney stayed in line for double in the $15,000 ITF Mysore Open. At the Mysore Tennis Club courts on Saturday, Aney sailed into the final of the singles event with a lopsided victory, and returned an hour later to annex the doubles title alongside India’s Riya Bhatia here.

The second-seeded American outclassed qualifier Lakshmiprabha Arunkumar -- who surprisingly appeared like a rabbit caught in the headlights – 6-1, 6-0 to set up a title clash with top-seeded Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty. Shrivalli, ranked No. 316 in the world, scored a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 win over Riya Bhatia.

Aney, known more for her success in doubles, made the most of the qualifier’s trepidation, making short work of her opponent. Lakshmiprabha, who gave a good account of herself in the earlier rounds in her maiden tournament at the senior level, looked a pale shadow on the day.

On a busy day at the office, Aney played a solid game and finished off the points quickly, probably conserving energy for the doubles final later in the day. The American pummelled Lakshmiprabha into submission in double quick time, sealing the win in a mere 48 minutes.

ANEY-BHATIA PAIR WINS TITLE

Later, Aney and Bhatia, the top-seeded pair, halted Soha Sadiq and Akanksha Nitture’s splendid run with a crushing 6-1, 6-1 win in front of a motley crowd.

Aney and Riya showed no signs of fatigue when they took the court after their semifinal wins. In fact, the duo was on a roll from the get-go, making winners at will.

Bengaluru’s Soha and Akanksha, who won the National title a week ago, failed to fire on the day. The two fired only in patches and let their top-seeded rivals a free ride.

The top seeds were off to a flier with breaks in the first (Akanksha) and third games. Although Soha and Akanksha managed to break Bhatia in the fourth game, there was no stopping the top seeds, who were difficult to get past at the net, Aney in particular. They ended their rivals’ misery in a mere 53 minutes.

Results (prefix denotes seeding): Singles (Semis): 1-Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty (Ind) bt 4-Riya Bhatia (Ind) 6-3, 6-2; 2-Jessie Aney (USA) bt Lakshmiprabha Arunkumar (Ind) 6-1, 6-0.

Doubles (Final): 1-Jessie Aney (USA)/ Riya Bhatia (Ind) bt 4-Soha Sadiq/ Akanksha Nitture (Ind) 6-1, 6-1.

CAPTION: PIX-1: Riya Bhatia and American Jessie Aney (second from right), winners of the ITF Mysore Open doubles title, pose with Tournament Director PS Vastrad (fourth from left), Mysore Tennis Club president AR Alagappan (centre), international player Prajwal Dev (third from right) and other MTC officials in Mysuru on Saturday.

PIX-2: American Jessie Aney (left) and Riya Bhatia, winners of the doubles event at the ITF Mysore Open on Saturday.

PIX-3: American Jessie Aney executes a forehand return during her 6-1, 6-0 annihilation of Lakshmiprabha Arunkumar in the semifinals at the ITF Mysore Open on Saturday.

PIX-4: Top-seeded Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty in action during her semifinal win over Riya Bhatia at the ITF Mysore Open on Saturday.