India Sanders reaches tennis doubles final in Algeria
Bath teenage tennis ace India Sanders teamed up with Italy’s Federica Gardella to reach the under-18s doubles final at the ITF/CAT North Africa Circuit event in Tlemcen, Algeria.
They lost 6-4 in the first set of their opening match against home sisters Nhed and Sanaa Benkaddour but won the second by the same score before taking the decisive tie-break 10-6.
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India Sanders receives her runners-up trophy in Algeria
Algerian Saadia Belhadj and Olla Mourad from Qatar were then dispatched for the loss of just two games before, in incredibly windy conditions, Sanders and Gardella battled back from 5-2 down to beat second seeds Farah Baklouti and Chiraz Bechri of Tunisia 7-6 4-6 10-7.
Predicted rain meant the final was brought forward 24 hours, meaning the Anglo-Italian pairing only had a short break before facing top seeds Ines Ibbou of Algeria and Morocco’s Ghita Nassik.
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They lost the first set 6-1 but battled back brilliantly to take the second 6-3, only to lose the tie-break 10-1 and have to settle for the runners-up spot.
Sanders is currently working with Bathampton athletics coach Dan Cossins on her strength and conditioning, while training and studying for A-levels at Millfield.
She is an ambassador for Sweaty Betty, a UK retailer specialising in sports clothing for women, and is also sponsored by tennis equipment manufacturer Prince.
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