Sharmada Balu (born 9 August 1993) is a professional Indian tennis player.

Sharmada Balu
Country (sports) India
ResidenceBengaluru, India
Born (1993-08-09) 9 August 1993 (age 30)
Bengaluru
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
PlaysRight (two-handed backhand)
Prize money$44,806
Singles
Career record121–133
Career titles2 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 582 (30 November 2015)
Doubles
Career record177–108
Career titles16 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 335 (3 August 2015)
Current rankingNo. 581 (19 February 2024)
Medal record
Representing  India
Women's tennis
South Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2016 Guwahati Women's doubles
Last updated on: 19 February 2024.

Balu has career-high WTA rankings of 582 in singles, achieved on 30 November 2015, and 335 in doubles, reached on 3 August 2015. She has won two singles and 16 doubles titles at tournaments of the ITF Women's Circuit.

She won the gold medal for India in the doubles competition in partnership with Prarthana Thombare at the 12th South Asian Games held in Guwahati, India in February 2016.[1]

She decided to quit tennis at the end of 2016 due to an injury and lack of financial support. Five years later she started playing tennis again. Balu made her WTA Tour main-draw debut at the 2022 Chennai Open in the doubles tournament, partnering with her compatriot Riya Bhatia.[2]

ITF finals edit

$60,000 tournaments
$25,000 tournaments
$10/15,000 tournaments

Singles: 2 (2 titles) edit

Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Win 1–0 Apr 2011 ITF Lucknow, India 10,000 Grass   Yvonne Neuwirth 6–3, 2–6, 6–2
Win 2–0 May 2015 ITF Bhopal, India 10,000 Hard   Sowjanya Bavisetti 6–2, 6–3

Doubles: 28 (16 titles, 12 runner-ups) edit

Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 0–1 Apr 2012 ITF Les Franqueses del Vallès, Spain 10,000 Hard   He Sirui   Carolin Daniels
  Eugeniya Pashkova
4–6, 3–6
Win 1–1 Mar 2013 ITF Hyderabad, India 10,000 Hard   Sowjanya Bavisetti   Michaela Frlicka
  Tereza Malíková
7–5, 5–7, [10–8]
Loss 1–2 Mar 2013 ITF Hyderabad, India 10,000 Hard   Sowjanya Bavisetti   Natasha Palha
  Prarthana Thombare
1–6, 4–6
Win 2–2 Jul 2013 ITF New Delhi, India 10,000 Hard   Sowjanya Bavisetti   Ankita Raina
  Shweta Chandra Rana
6–2, 6–4
Win 3–2 Apr 2014 ITF Chennai, India 10,000 Clay   Rishika Sunkara   Natasha Palha
  Prarthana Thombare
6–0, 7–6(4)
Win 4–2 May 2014 ITF Hyderabad, India 10,000 Hard   Rishika Sunkara   Shweta Chandra Rana
  Prarthana Thombare
6–1, 7–5
Loss 4–3 Aug 2014 ITF New Delhi, India 10,000 Hard   Wang Xiyao   Rutuja Bhosale
  Kim Da-bin
3–6, 4–6
Win 5–3 Aug 2014 ITF Bangalore, India 10,000 Hard   Prarthana Thombare   Hsu Ching-wen
  Natasha Palha
6–4, 0–6, [10–6]
Win 6–3 Oct 2014 ITF Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt 10,000 Hard   Wang Xiyao   Harriet Dart
  Eden Silva
7–5, 2–6, [11–9]
Loss 6–4 Feb 2015 ITF Port El Kantaoui, Tunisia 10,000 Hard   Michika Ozeki   Deborah Chiesa
  Beatrice Lombardo
3–6, 2–6
Win 7–4 Apr 2015 ITF Heraklion, Greece 10,000 Hard   Lee Pei-chi   Tamara Čurović
  Aryna Sabalenka
4–6, 6–3, [10–2]
Loss 7–5 Apr 2015 ITF Heraklion, Greece 10,000 Hard   Fatma Al-Nabhani   Anna Bondár
  Lisa-Maria Moser
3–6, 5–7
Loss 7–6 May 2015 ITF Bhopal, India 10,000 Hard   Hsu Ching-wen   Snehadevi Reddy
  Dhruthi Tatachar Venugopal
6–0, 6–7(1), [3–10]
Win 8–6 Jun 2015 Fergana Challenger, Uzbekistan 25,000 Hard   Tadeja Majerič   Vlada Ekshibarova
  Natasha Palha
7–5, 6–3
Loss 8–7 Sep 2015 ITF Hyderabad, India 10,000 Clay   Prarthana Thombare   Fatma Al-Nabhani
  Prerna Bhambri
5–7, 2–6
Win 9–7 Sep 2015 ITF Hyderabad, India 10,000 Clay   Prarthana Thombare   Nidhi Chilumula
  Rishika Sunkara
2–6, 6–3, [12–10]
Loss 9–8 Oct 2015 ITF Lucknow, India 10,000 Grass   Nidhi Chilumula   Prerna Bhambri
  Prarthana Thombare
3–6, 6–4, [7–10]
Win 10–8 Oct 2015 ITF Raipur, India 10,000 Hard   Prarthana Thombare   Prerna Bhambri
  Rishika Sunkara
6–3, 6–7(4), [10–8]
Win 11–8 Jul 2016 ITF Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt 10,000 Hard   Ola Abou Zekry   Eleni Kordolaimi
  Ana Bianca Mihăilă
2–6, 6–3, [10–5]
Win 12–8 Aug 2016 ITF Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt 10,000 Hard   Ana Veselinović   Mariam Bolkvadze
  Ana Bianca Mihăilă
4–6, 7–6(2), [10–8]
Win 13–8 Aug 2016 ITF Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt 10,000 Hard   Dhruthi Tatachar Venugopal   Inês Murta
  Mirabelle Njoze
6–3, 6–3
Loss 13–9 Sep 2016 ITF Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt 10,000 Hard   Dhruthi Tatachar Venugopal   Ana Bianca Mihăilă
  Sandra Samir
4–6, 1–6
Win 14–9 Sep 2016 ITF Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt 10,000 Hard   Dhruthi Tatachar Venugopal   Suzy Larkin
  Linnea Malmqvist
6–1, 6–3
Win 15–9 Oct 2016 ITF Pune, India 10,000 Hard   Dhruthi Tatachar Venugopal   Riya Bhatia
  Shweta Chandra Rana
6–4, 6–0
Win 16–9 Sep 2021 ITF Monastir, Tunisia 15,000 Hard   Sravya Shivani Chilakalapudi   Dalayna Hewitt
  Elena Milovanović
7–5, 6–3
Loss 16–10 Dec 2021 ITF Solapur, India 15,000 Hard   Sowjanya Bavisetti   Ramya Natarajan
  Sathwika Sama
3–6, 6–1, [11–13]
Loss 16–11 Feb 2022 ITF Ahmedabad, India 15,000 Clay   Sravya Shivani Chilakalapudi   Punnin Kovapitukted
  Anna Ureke
3–6, 1–6
Loss 16–12 Nov 2022 ITF Nairobi, Kenya 15,000 Clay   Sabastiani Leon   Smriti Bhasin
  Angella Okutoyi
3–6, 5–7

References edit

  1. ^ "2016 South Asian Games Result" (PDF).
  2. ^ Singh, Divyakriti (14 September 2022). "Quit tennis, take up job, return to play: Sharmada Balu back after 5-year break to make it count". sportstar.thehindu.com. Retrieved 8 October 2022.

External links edit