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Multiple Asian Games medallist Vishnu Vardhan and youngster Maaya Revathi continued their winning streak to reach the quarterfinals of the 29th Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship at the DLTA Complex in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Top seed and former national champion Vishnu had to work hard in his second-round match against Bhicky Sagolshem of Manipur, eventually securing a 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 victory. The player from Telangana started strongly, breaking Bhicky's serve twice to take a 5-1 lead. Bhicky fought back by winning two consecutive games, keeping the first set alive. However, Vishnu used his experience to win the first set. The second set was a back-and-forth battle, with the score tied at 5-5 before Bhicky raised his game to take the next two games and level the match. In the final set, Vishnu dominated to win 6-2. In the women's singles, young Maaya from Tamil Nadu carried forward her momentum with another strong performance, defeating Telangana's Saumya Ronde. The 15-year-old, who holds the record for the longest ITF Juniors winning streak, was in full control, winning 6-3, 6-0 in straight sets. Last year's finalist, Vaidehee Chaudhari of Gujarat, breezed past Delhi's Riya Sachdeva 6-0, 6-0 to reach the last eight, while experienced player Riya Bhatia beat Jharkhand's Nemha Kispotta 6-2, 6-2 in straight sets. India's largest domestic tennis tournament, supported by DCM Shriram Ltd. and organised under the aegis of the All India Tennis Association and Delhi Lawn Tennis Association, is showcasing talent from across the country. Past editions of the tournament have featured some of India's top tennis stars, including Rohan Bopanna, Somdev Devvarman, Yuki Bhambri, Sania Mirza, and Rutuja Bhosale. In the men's singles, there were some surprises as Nitin Kumar Sinha (RSPB) defeated fourth seed Kabir Hans of Odisha 7-6(5), 6-2, and Manipur's Bushan Haobam beat sixth seed Ranjeet VM of Tamil Nadu 6-1, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals. Gujarat's Smit Patel (9th seed) maintained his winning form in the boys' under-18 singles, beating eighth seed Akshat Dhull of Chandigarh 7-5, 6-0 in the third round. In the girls' under-18 singles, Maharashtra's Sejal Bhutada (14th seed) upset top seed Laxmi Dandu in a three-set thriller, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, to reach the quarterfinals. Alongside the prestigious titles, the winners will share prize money totalling over Rs21.55 lakh, with kit allowances in the junior categories. The winners and runners-up in the U16 and U14 singles events will also receive a tennis scholarship of Rs25,000 each. The boys' and girls' under-16 and under-14 qualifying and main draw matches will be held from October 5 to October 12. (ANI)
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