National Junior U-18 Clay Court Tennis Championship: Exit scare for fifth seed Madhurima; top seeds Suhitha, Vaishnavi through to pre-quarters

National Junior U-18 Clay Court Tennis Championship: Fifth seed Madhurima Sawant saved two match points before defeating qualifier Kkaira S Chetnani.

REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: Suhitha Maruri and Vaishnavi Adkar, top two seeds, began their campaign at the 29th National Junior U-18 Clay Court Tennis Championship in Chennai with easy second-round wins. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

On a day when most of the seeded players in girls’ singles progressed to the next round without much fuss, fifth seed Madhurima Sawant had one foot in the exit door at the 29th National Junior U-18 Clay Court Tennis Championship in Chennai on Tuesday.

Playing against the qualifier, and fellow Maharashtrian, Kkaira S Chetnani, Madhurima was trailing 5-6 in the third set and was down 15-40. However, Kkaira, serving for the match, hit two double faults in a row and eventually lost the game. Madhurima clinched the final set and a spot in the last 16 by winning the tiebreak 7-3.

In other matches in girls’ singles, Suhitha Maruri and Vaishnavi Adkar, the top two seeds, began their campaign with easy second-round wins at the SDAT Stadium in Egmore.

Highlights of National Junior U-18 Clay Court Tennis Championship

• Day 6: Kriish Tyagi, Vaishnavi Adkar defeat top seeds to win singles titles
• Day 5: Madhurima-Ruma pair wins girls doubles title; Denim-Vansh champion in boys doubles
• Day 5: Kriish Tyagi to face Denim Yadav in singles final
• Day 4: Sisters Asmi, Vaishnavi storm into doubles final
• Day 3: Packed schedule on day three tests youngsters
• Day 2: Exit scare for fifth seed Madhurima; top seeds Suhitha, Vaishnavi through to pre-quarters
• Day 1: Daksh Prasad digs deep to reach second round
• Underarm serve, upsets, bad light and the drama of qualifying

Having received a bye in the opening round, second seed Vaishnavi routed Samaira Malik 6-0, 6-1 to reach pre-quarterfinal. Later in the day, top seed Suhitha beat Harshini 6-0, 6-4 to book her spot in the last 16.

It was Harshini’s second match of the day. Her first-round fixture against qualifier Shrijana M Thapa could not begin on Monday due to bad light and had to be played early on Tuesday morning.

Fourth-seeded Lakshmi Prabha got off to a solid start with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Rishitha Basireddy of Telangana. Lakshmi, who won the Tamil Nadu State Championship last month after an epic three-and-a-half-hour final, will be up against qualifier Asmi Adkar, Vaishnavi’s sister, in the pre-quarterfinal.

In boys’ singles, top seeds Denim Yadav and Daksh Prasad reached pre-quarterfinals with comfortable straight-sets wins over Navya Verma and Pushkal Srivastava, respectively.

Results

Girls’ Singles

Round of 32: Suhitha Maruri (1), KA, def. Harshini N, KA, 6-0 6-4; Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi, TN, def. Presha Shanthamoorthi, KA, 6-1 4-6 6-4; Anjali Rathi (9), HR, def. Aarushi Mahenra Raval, GJ, 6-2 6-0; Janani Ramesh, TN, def. Laxmi Siri Dandu, TS, 6-3 6-2; Lakshmi Prabha Arunkumar (4), TN, def. Rishitha Reddy Basireddy, TS, 6-2 7-5; Asmi Nihar Adkar, MH, def. Shagun Kumari, UP, 6-0 6-1; Nirali Bahadur Padaniya, TS, def. Sreenidhi Balaji (10), KA, 6-3 4-6 7-5; Madhurima Sangramsingh Sawant, MH, def. Kkaira S Chetnani, MH, 3-6 7-6(3) 7-6(3); Hannah Nagpal (6), UP, def. Isheeta Midha, CH, 6-7(5) 6-3 6-1; Tamanna Takoria, HR, def. Apurva Vemuri, TS, 3-6 7-6(5) 6-0; Chahana Budhbhatti, GJ, def. Harleen Kaur Dhanda (14), PB, 6-3 2-6 6-1; Ruma Ashutosh Gaikaiwari, MH, def. Nainika Narender Reddy Bendram, MH, 6-0 6-1; Saumrita Jagatdeo Verma, UP, def. Abinaya Caitlyn Sweeton, TN, 6-3 6-4; Vaishnavi Adkar, MH, def. Samaira Malik, DL, 6-0 6-1 .

Round of 64: Harshini N, KA, def. Shrijana M Thapa, KL, 6-4 6-4; Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi, TN, def. Harshini Viswanadh, AP, 7-5 6-1; Rishitha Reddy Basireddy, TS, def. Saily Prashant Thakkar, GJ, 6-4 7-6(3); Ananya S R, TN, def. Jennika Jaison, MH, 6-2 6-3; Abinaya Caitlyn Sweeton, TN, def. Tamanna Panwar, HR, 6-3 5-7 6-2; Pushti Laddha, TS, def. Saijayani Banerjee, WB, 3-6 6-3 6-2

Boys’ Singles

Round of 32: Denim Yadav (1), MP, def. Navya Verma, PB, 6-0 6-2; Tanishq Mukesh Jadhav, MH, def. Arjun Jitendra Abhyankar, MH, 6-1 6-2; Sagar Kumar, DL, def. Swastik Sharma, DL, 4-6 6-1 7-6(7); Adhirit Awal, TN, def. Debasis Sahoo, OD, 6-4 6-4; Aryan Arora (3), PB, def. Keshav Goel, WB, 7-6(5) 7-6(3); Rishi Vandhan Sadeeshkumar, KA, def. Tejas Ahuja, HR, 5-7 7-5 6-0; Shyam Sundarr Shri Sailesh, TN, def. Vansh Bisht, DL, 6-0 6-2; Gagan Rakesh Vimal, TN, def. Vansh Nandal, HR, 6-2 2-6 6-3; Kavin Karthik K S (7), TN, def. Siddharth Gowthaman, TN, 6-3 6-4; Rethin Pranav R S, TN, def. Pranav Karthik, TN, 6-1 6-4; Nishit Nilesh Rahane, MH, def. Sahil S Tambat, MH, 6-3 6-1; Jason Michael David, KA, def. Arjun Rathi, HR, 6-4 7-6(8); Kriish Ajay Tyagi (6), KA, def. Aarjun Pandit, HR, 6-3 6-2; Venkat Rishi Batlanki, TS, def. Deepam Malik (13), DL, 6-4 6-2; Daksh Prasad, MP, def. Pushkal Srivastava, MH, 6-1 6-4 .

Round of 64: Swastik Sharma, DL, def. Dhiraj Reddy V, TS, 6-4 5-7 7-6(3); Tejas Ahuja, HR, def. Azmeer Shaikh, MH, 4-6 7-6(9) 7-5; Gagan Rakesh Vimal, TN, def. Satwik Murali Kollepalli, AP, 6-4 6-4; Arjun Rathi, HR, def. Om Yadav, UP, 6-4 7-5; Jason Michael David, KA, def. Vaheen Saumilbhai Patel, GJ, 6-2 6-2 .