Fenesta Open: Khushi Kadian Wins U-16 Doubles Title, Stays On Course For Triple; Ribhav Saroha Eyes Double

Fenesta Open: Khushi Kadian wins U-16 doubles title, stays on course for triple; Ribhav Saroha eyes double (Khushi Kadian wins U-16 doubles title, stays on course for triple; Ribhav Saroha eyes double in the 31st Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship at the DLTA Complex in New Delhi on Friday. Photo credit: Fenesta Open)

Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship:  Haryana’s Khushi Kadian partnered with Tamil Nadu’s Sanmitha Harini to win the Girls U-16 doubles title and remain on course for a triple triumph at the 31st Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship at the DLTA Complex in New Delhi on Friday. The 13-year-old also reached the singles finals in the U-16 and U-14 categories.

Third seeds Kadian and Harini defeated fourth seeds Purvi Patwa and Ranjhana Sangram 6-3, 6-3 in the final on Friday, capping a long day on the courts for Kadian, who was playing her third match of the day. “In the first set, we were 5-0 up, and then we pulled it back a little bit, and it became 5-3. I think we did overall well; our serves, volleys, everything was good,” Harini said after the final.

Earlier in the day, Kadian won her singles semifinals in the Girls U-16 and U-14 categories, dropping a combined total of just seven games. In the U-16 event, where she is seeded 14th, Kadian upset third seed Aaradhya Meena 6-0, 6-3 to set up a final against seventh seed Ranjhana Sangram. Sangram defeated fifth seed Akshita Antil 6-1, 6-4 in the other semifinal.

“The match was good. She was playing very aggressively, so I tried to keep the rallies going,” Kadian said after her win over Meena in the U-16 semifinals. “She was competing very hard, and the rallies were very strong, but I managed to get short balls and take advantage of them.”

In the Girls U-14 event, Kadian defeated Saanvi Mohan 6-1, 6-3 to set up a final against second seed Siddhi Pandey. Pandey rallied from 5-1 down in the second set to defeat 10th seed Aaradhana Tehlan 6-1, 7-6 (7-5).

“I really want to win the Nationals as it's a very big tournament. It’s the biggest tournament of the year in India, and I'm very hungry for these two nationals, so I will try my best to win the finals.”

Meanwhile, Chandigarh’s Ribhav Saroha, who won the Boys U-18 title last week, moved one win away from completing a double triumph after reaching the Boys U-16 singles final.

Saroha dropped just one game in his 6-0, 6-1 win over Kushagra Arora to book his place in the final, where he will face unseeded Yashwin Dahiya. Dahiya needed three sets and more than two-and-a-half hours to upset eighth seed Vivaan Mirdha 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. It was Dahiya’s third win over a seeded player this week.

“I played really well today,” Saroha said after the win. “I was able to play every shot aggressively and inside the court. It was a good match for me. I'm looking forward to the finals tomorrow. Last year, my friend Tavish Pahwa won the U-18 and U-16 titles, and I want to try and do the same thing. It will be a great feeling if I win tomorrow.”

The Boys U-14 singles final will be contested between second seed Puneeth Manohar of Karnataka and fifth seed S. Chintagunta of Telangana. Manohar dropped just two games in his 6-0, 6-2 win over ninth seed Sujai Pothula, while Chintagunta defeated 10th seed Taanish Nanda 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

Rajasthan’s Vivaan Mirdha and Haryana’s Harsh Marwaha claimed the Boys U-16 doubles title with a 6-4, 6-3 win over fourth seeds Kushagra Arora and Yash Sharma. “The first set was quite tough; till 4-4, we didn't break them, so that break was crucial. The last game we held pretty easily. This guy (Vivaan) volleyed really well,” Marwaha said after the final.

“My volleys were good today, and I hope that we can do it next year also. My singles match was tough today, but I hope for better next year. We will come here next year and win it again,” Mirdha said.

Top seeds Aarav Chhallani of Maharashtra and Puneeth Manohar of Karnataka won the Boys U-14 doubles title with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over second seeds Adeshbir Ghuman and Sparsh Patil.

Third seeds Sara Fengse and Trisha Bhosale, both from Maharashtra, claimed the Girls U-14 doubles title, defeating second seeds Myra Shaikh and Zoha Qureshi 7-5, 6-1.

Results:

Boys U-16 Singles semifinals:

Ribhav Saroha [1] def. Kushagra Arora 6-0, 6-1

Yashwin Dahiya def. Vivaan Mirdha [8] 6-4, 2-6, 6-3

Girls U-16 Singles semifinals:

Khushi Kadian [14] def. Aaradhya Meena [3] 6-0, 6-3

Ranjhana Sangram [7] def. Akshita Antil [5] 6-1, 6-4

Boys U-14 Singles semifinals:

S Chintagunta [5] def. Taanish Nanda [10] 6-4, 3-6, 6-3

Puneeth Manohar [2] def. Sujai Pothula [9] 6-0, 6-2

Girls U-14 Singles semifinals:

Sidhhi Pandey [2] vs. Aaradhana Tehlan [10] 6-1, 7-6 (7-5)

Khushi Kadian [5] def. Saanvi Mohan 6-1, 6-3

Boys Doubles U-16 Final:

Vivaan Mirdha / Harsh Marwaha def. Kushagra Arora / Yash Sharma [4] 6-4, 6-3

Girls Doubles U-16 Final:

Sanmitha Harini / Khushi Kadian [3] def. Purvi Patwa / Ranjhana Sangram [4] 6-3, 6-3

Boys Doubles U-14 Final:

Aarav Chhallani / Puneeth Manohar def. Adeshbir Ghuman / Sparsh Patil [2] 6-2, 6-2

Girls Doubles U-14 Final:

Aarav Chhallani / Puneeth Manohar def. Adeshbir Ghuman / Sparsh Patil [2] 6-2, 6-2

Article Source: IANS