Diksha Dagar and Vani Kapoor made steady starts at the Women's Australian Open, each returning an even-par 72 in the opening round to sit tied for 24th place on the leaderboard
Ridhima, who last won at Zion Hills Country Club in Bengaluru in July 2025, is now 5-under for two rounds and extended her lead over the field from one shot to four shots. Lying second is amateur Zara Anand (72-71) at 1-under 143
Avani Prashanth shot 68, and Aditi carded 69, and they were 8-under for three rounds. Among other Indians, Pranavi Urs (71) was T-44th, Hitaashee Bakshi (70) was T-55 and Diksha Dagar (75) was T-69
The field will also include two other in-form players, Pukhraj Singh Gill, who won the event in Jamshedpur, and Aman Raj, who won in Jaipur and Kolkata. Another win from this season in the field is Kapil Kumar, who emerged victorious in Pune.
Mahreen, who has been on the podium more than once in the US Kids World Championship, shot a second round of 5-under 66 that included an eagle and four birdies against one bogey on the back nine
Pranavi had two birdies and two bogeys all on the back nine of the course and between the 13th and the 18th. Hitaashee had four birdies, but she also gave away three bogeys and a double bogey on Par-5 ninth
Hitaashee added a steady 1-over 73 to her opening 72, finishing on a 36-hole total of one-over-par that placed her tied for 36th. Pranavi carded back-to-back rounds of 73 to lie tied for 47th. While they progressed, several other Indian hopefuls fell agonisingly short
Diksha, who has five Top-10s this season, including a runner-up place, will play in France next two weeks before coming back home for the Women's Indian Open, where she has finished in the Top-3 in the past
Hitaashee and Ridhima played together in the first group from the first tee in the morning. Hitaashee had one birdie and one bogey on the front nine, while Ridhima had nine straight pars. On the back nine, both had three birdies and one bogey each for similar rounds of 69 and a total of 4-un
Diksha Dagar's round was highlighted by two birdies in her final four holes, helping her recover from an earlier double bogey and secure a strong position heading into the next round
Even as the 33-year-old Neha made a move to the top, overnight leader Amandeep Drall suffered a big drop with a round of 4-over 76, seven shots worse than her first round. Amandeep has now slipped from sole first to tied ninth at the Clover Greens par-72 layout.