New Delhi, Oct 3 2024-
Nitin Kumar Sinha produced an upset against eighth seed Raghav Jaisinghani, while young sensation Maaya Revathi beat Humera Baharamus to reach the semifinals of the ongoing 29th Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship in their respective categories at the DLTA Complex here on Thursday.
Ranked 38 in the country, Nitin of West Bengal carried forward his momentum from the last match in the men’s singles category and registered a win by 6-3, 6-4 in straight sets against Madhya Pradesh’s Raghav to reach the last four where he will face top seed Vishnu Vardhan of Telangana.
The multiple Asian Games medallist and former Davis Cupper also continued his positive momentum to get the better of Manipur’s Haobam 6-3, 6-3 in straight sets.
India’s largest domestic tennis tournament being held under the aegis of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) and Delhi Lawn Tennis Association, is witnessing the participation of exciting talents from various parts of the country fighting for the coveted crowns. The tournament has seen the participation of some of India’s top tennis stars in the past editions including Rohan Bopanna, Somdev Devvarman, Yuki Bhambri, Sania Mirza and Rutuja Bhosale among many others.
In the women’s singles category, the 15-year-old Maaya of Tamil Nadu looked comfortable on the court against her opponent from Telangana initially. She gained a quick lead in the first set before clinching it by 6-2 with a strong forehand. The second set saw a tough battle between both the players and went into a tie-breaker where Maaya held her nerve to win the set 7-6(2) and reach the semis.
She will now face second seed Delhi’s Riya Bhatia, who beat Yubrani Banerjee (RSPB) 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(5) in a three-set thriller to move into the last four of the prestigious tournament. Former national champion Vaidehee Chaudhari of Gujarat registered a 6-1, 6-2 win in the quarterfinals, while Maharashtra’s Pooja Ingale upset third-seed Akanksha Nitture 6-4, 6-2 in straight sets.
In the boys’ U-18 category, Manipur’s Shanker Heisnam beat Delhi’s Aashravya Mehra in a thrilling quarterfinal match by 7-6(2), 6-7(8), 6-0. On the other hand, Sejal Bhutada of Maharashtra stormed into the semis of the girls’ U-18 category with a 6-4, 6-1 win against Aakruti Sonkusare.
The Boys and Girls Under-16 & Under-14 category qualifying and main draw matches will be played from October 5 to October 12. (Agency)
