Women’s Indian Open: Aline Krauter breaks into lead as Diksha Dagar lurks in fourth place after third round

Diksha stayed in race after an impressive third round.

Germany's Aline Krauter surged into the lead at the Hero Women's Indian Open after the third round on Saturday, while India's Diksha Dagar finished with back-to-back birdies to keep her hopes alive in the US$ 400,000 event at the DLF Golf and Country Club.

Diksha was tied for fourth place, trailing Aline Krauter (68) by five shots. Aline Krauter, who is currently ranked fourth on the Race to Costa del Sol (LET Order of Merit), had three birdies on the front nine and three on the back nine, with two bogeys on each half of the course. She described her round as a "roller-coaster" with fast greens and some lip-outs, but she remained determined to enjoy the final day.

Aline is aiming to secure a back-to-back win for Germany after Olivia Cowan withdrew from the tournament, stretching her lead from one to two strokes.

"It's different being at the top. I haven't really been in this position this year at all. I think it will be a challenge tomorrow for sure. But I'm very excited about tomorrow, and I'm glad I came to India! It was a lot of fun playing out there – a lot of crowds. They were all cheering for me as well, which was really nice," said Aline, who is looking for her first LET win.

She credited her ball striking on Saturday and praised her caddie for making her laugh and lightening the mood.

Sweden's Sara Kjellker rebounded from a double bogey on the first hole to secure the solo second position, two strokes ahead of the overnight leader, Madelene Stavnar of Norway. Sara, who has been in excellent form with five top-10 finishes in her last six starts, finished the third round at nine-under 207.

Sara acknowledged her poor start and nerves but managed to recover and secure many birdies to stay in contention.

Local favorite Vani Kapoor had a challenging day, ending the penultimate round tied for fifth with England's Hannah Burke. Vani had two birdies but also dropped several shots during her round, finishing seven shots behind the leader at four-under 212.

Amateur Avani Prashanth maintained her position in the top 10 after sinking five birdies for an even-par 72, including one on the 18th, against three bogeys and a double bogey. Local player Gaurika Bishnoi also overcame some difficulties, finishing tied for 12th with a two-over 74.

Nishtha Madan, who also competes on the Epson Tour in the US, had the best performance among the Indians on the third day with a 68, placing her tied for 19th at one-over. Amateur Vidhatri Urs had a 73 and was also at T-19. Ridhima Dilawari (73) was two-over for three days and T-25. Further down the leaderboard were Khushi Khanijau (74) at T-34, Amandeep Drall (71) at T-37, and Neha Tripathi (75) at T-40.