Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship: Boys' U-14 top seed Aarav Challani was knocked out of the 31st Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship at the DLTA Complex in New Delhi on Thursday, losing to Satya Chintagunta 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the quarterfinals.
Chintagunta fought back after losing the opening set to secure his place in the semifinals. “First, it was a very exhausting match. We played for three hours. I am very happy to play with him. It was a good experience,” Chintagunta said after the win.
Reflecting on the match, he added, “In the second set, I was fully exhausted. I didn't know what to do. He started giving nice high balls. I found it very difficult. In the third set, I fought myself. I tried my best.”
Asked if he felt pressure playing against the tournament’s top seed, Chintagunta said, “I decided that I am going to win. Last time I played, I won. This time, I was sure that I am going to win.”
Meanwhile, Chandigarh’s Ribhav Saroha continued his bid for a double crown, advancing to the boys U-16 semifinals with a 6-2, 6-2 win over P. Nallagundla in a rain-interrupted quarterfinal. Having won the boys U-18 singles title last week, Saroha is now two wins away from completing a double triumph at the tournament. In the other boys U-16 semifinal, No. 8 seed Vivaan Mirdha will face Yashwin Dahiya after both players recorded straight-sets quarterfinal victories.
“It was 1-1 in the first set, 15-0 on my serve. And then we had the rain delay for, I think, 4 or 5 hours maybe,” Saroha said about dealing with the lengthy rain break. “I slept during that break, and I was able to regain the focus and energy. Then I was doing deep breathing exercises before the match so that I could just get back straight into the rhythm. I came back, and I was playing really well today. My strategy was to be more patient on the court and make him move and not make mistakes before him. And whenever I have a chance, to just commit fully and come in on the volley.”
Second seed Siddhi Pandey advanced to the girls' U-14 semifinals with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Saatvi Mardaniya. No. 10 seed Aaradhana Tehlan also reached the last four, rallying to beat No. 8 seed Purvi Patwa 1-6, 6-3, 6-0.
“I was playing against the sixth seed. She played excellently,” Pandey said after her win. “She recently won an ITF title. I was nervous going into the match, but I managed to pull it off. Nothing changed in the second set. I was able to use my brain more, and I’m happy to be in the semis. I just want to go with the flow and am looking forward to my next matches.”
In the boys U-14 event, second seed Puneeth Manohar and No. 9 seed Sujai Pothula also advanced to the semifinals. Manohar defeated eighth seed Adeshbir Ghuman 6-3, 6-1, while Pothula beat third seed Nibras Hussain 6-3, 6-4.
“I'm pretty pumped about it; I'm happy with the way I was able to play,” Manohar said after his win. “It was a dominant win for me. I was able to come out of it comfortably. My opponent did give a good fight, but he had some problems which helped me.”
In the girls U-16 event, No. 14 seed Khushi Kadian produced one of the day’s standout performances, beating Aahida Singh 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-2) in a marathon to reach the semifinals. Kadian was also scheduled to play her girls U-14 quarterfinal later Thursday.
Kadian was joined in the girls' U-16 semifinals by third seed Aaradhya Meena, fifth seed Akshita Antil and seventh seed Ranjhana Sangram.
Results:
Boys' U-16 Singles quarterfinals:
Ribhav Saroha [1] def. P. Nallagundla 6-2, 6-2
Yashwin Dahiya def. Yaj Malik [6] 6-3, 6-1
Vivaan Mirdha [8] def. Harsh Marwaha 6-4, 6-4
Kushagra Arora def. Monodip Dey [12] 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
Girls' U-16 Singles quarterfinals:
Aaradhya Meena [3] def. Shravee Deore 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
Akshita Antil [5] def. Pooja Nagaraj 6-4, 1-0 (retd.)
Ranjhana Sangram [7] def. Rishita Yadav 7-5, 6-3
Khushi Kadian [14] def. Aahida Singh 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-2)
Boys' U-14 Singles quarterfinals:
S. Chintagunta def. Aarav Challani [1] 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
Puneeth Manohar [2] def. Adeshbir Ghuman [8] 6-3, 6-1
Sujai Pothula [9] def. Nibras Hussain [3] 6-3, 6-4
Sparsh Patil [4] vs. Taanish Nanda [10]
Girls' U-14 Singles quarterfinals:
Siddhi Pandey [2] def. Saatvi Mardaniya [6] 6-4, 6-1
Zoha Qureshi [3] vs. Khushi Kadian [5]
Siddhi Pandey [2] def. Saatvi Mardaniya [6] 6-4, 6-1
Also Read: Special Cricket Stories
Article Source: IANS