Rethin, Maaya storm into National tennis finals
Nitin, who beat Vishnu in the semifinals, will face the 17-year-old in the men’s final; Maaya takes on Vaidehi in the women’s summit clash
Stunning display: Rethin eased past Abhinav for the loss of five games in the semifinals.
| Photo Credit: Kamesh Srinivasan
Two of the brightest juniors in Indian tennis, Maaya Rajeshwaran and Rethin Pranav, showcased their potential yet again, as they made it to the finals of the women’s and men’s events in the Fenesta National championship at the DLTA Complex on Friday.
The 15-year-old Maaya, a precocious talent from Coimbatore, made little fuss in knocking out the second seed and former champion Riya Bhatia 6-3, 6-2.
There was some concern, even in such a strong fare, as Maaya dropped serve four times in the match. The athletic and energetic girl has had a remarkable run, as she has won seven matches so far, including three in the qualifying event, dropping 29 games in all.
She will be up against fluent-stroking Vaidehi Chaudhari who has dropped only 11 games in four matches.
The big-built Rethin, a rare talent from Karur, who was groomed for a few years at the Rohan Bopanna academy in Bengaluru, has capitalised on his lucky-loser spot in the main draw with a remarkably splendid run.
Rethin eased past the experienced Abhinav Sanjeev Shanmugam for the loss of five games, in the semifinals.
After losing to Bhicky Sagolshem in the third and final qualifying round, the 17-year-old Rethin, who was ranked a career-best 88 in the world among juniors, has rarely put a foot wrong.
Nitin stuns Vishnu
The two kids from Tamil Nadu took away the focus from Nitin Kumar Sinha who played a brilliant match to turn the tide against Olympian and former champion Vishnu Vardhan in a gripping contest in the men’s semifinal.
Nitin failed to serve the first set out when he had three set points in the tenth game. Vishnu was able to take that set at 7-5. But, stroking with intelligence and craft, Nitin was able to serve out the second set with an ace.
In the decider, Vishnu could not find any energy in his legs, especially so after having negotiated two Manipuri talent in the earlier rounds, in the energy-sapping heat. In the event, Nitin prevailed 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.
It will be interesting to see how the youngsters fare in the finals against pretty strong opposition in the men’s and women’s events on the morrow.
The results: Men (semifinals): Nitin Kumar Sinha bt Vishnu Vardhan 5-7, 6-4, 6-2; Rethin Pranav bt Abhinav Sanjeev Shanmugam 6-3, 6-2.
Doubles (final): Ishaque Eqbal & Faisal Qamar bt Fardeen Mohammed & Abhinansu Borthakur 6-0, 6-2.
Women (semifinals): Vaidehi Chaudhari bt Pooja Ingale 6-1, 6-2; Maaya Rajeshwaran bt Riya Bhatia 6-3, 6-2.
Doubles (final): Akanksha Nitture & Soha Sadiq bt Sai Samhitha & Pooja Ingale 6-3, 3-6, [10-4].
Under-18 boys (semifinals): Aradhya Kshitij bt Karan Thapa 6-2, 6-0; Shanker Heisnam bt Varun Verma 7-6(3), 2-1 (retired).
Doubles (final): Rian Sharma & Aradhya Kshitij bt Smit Patel & Vatsal Manaikantan 6-3, 7-6(4).
Under-18 girls (semifinals): Diya Ramesh bt Sejal Bhutada 7-5, 6-2; Prisha Shinde bt Anandita Upadhyay 6-4, 6-3.
Doubles (final): Arzan Khorakiwala & Nainika Reddy bt Shaivi Dalal & Parthasarthi Mundhe 6-3, 7-5.
Published – October 04, 2024 06:46 pm IST
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