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Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated the 14-year-old Jensi Kanabar from Junagadh in Gujarat, after she became the first Indian girl to win the Australian Open Asia-Pacific Elite 14 and Under Trophy 2026.
The young sensation's feat marked a watershed moment for Indian junior tennis and underscores the impact of sustained athlete support under the Khelo India scheme. "From Junagadh to Melbourne -- India's pride serves an ace! Congratulations to our Khelo India athlete Jensi Kanabar from Junagadh, Gujarat, for winning the Australian Open Asia-Pacific Elite 14 & Under Trophy 2026 and becoming the first Indian female to achieve this historic feat," Mansukh Mandaviya wrote on X. https://x.com/mansukhmandviya/status/2017457873954144272 Jensi etched her name into the annals of Indian tennis history, becoming the first Indian girl to win a title at the 2026 Australian Open Asia-Pacific Elite 14 & Under Trophy held at Melbourne Park, according to a release. The Gujarati girl clinched a memorable 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory in front of a partisan home crowd against Australia's Musemma Cilek. Jensi had earlier topped her round-robin group with a perfect record, winning 12 out of 15 games. "The feeling of winning the Australian Open is fantastic and now I turn my attention to winning the Junior Grand Slam and Pro Circuit as well," Jensin told SAI from Melbourne on Friday. "Last year I have played the Wimbledon as well as a lot of foreign competitions and that prepared me for this. My major aim remains to give India a medal at the Olympics." Jensi has had been backed as a Khelo India Athlete (KIA) since April 2024. Besides financial assistance of Rs 10,000 per month, she has been benefited with access to high-quality coaching and competitive exposure, enhanced training infrastructure and tournament readiness support, besides the financial assistance and developmental backing aimed at preparing India's junior talent for global platforms. (ANI)
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