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National ranking tourney: Pune’s Paparkar favourite to claim u12 tennis title
Local sensation beats Bengaluru’s Tanussh Ghildyal 7-5, 6-0 in the Super Series.
PUNE Number one seeds, Arnav Paparkar (boys) and Divya Ungrish (girls), overcame a tough test in the semifinals of the All India Ranking Super Series under-12 tennis tournament at the Deccan Gymkhana tennis courts on Thursday.
Local boy Paparkar’s perfect run, not losing a single game in the tournament - was tested by Bengaluru’s Tanussh Ghildyal.
Third seed Ghildyal took the first set down to the wire as he broke Paparkar’s serve, but ended up losing the set. Ghildyal got walloped in the second, allowing Paparkar to clinch a 7-5, 6-0 victory.
Mumbai’s Samarth Sahita is the final hurdle in Paparkar’s tracks.
Sahita, who is the second seed of the tournament, decimated unseeded Hrishikesh Ramanathan 6-1, 6-1, to advance to the final.
The 11-year-old Mumbaikar was able to exploit Ramanathan’s weak serves.
Ungrish survives test
In the girls’ category, top seed Divya Ungrish had to play another three-setter to confirm her presence in the final.
After a tiring two-hour long quarter-final bout on Wednesday, Ungrish won a 1-hour 45-minute match against third seed Aakruti Sonkusare from Solapur.
The top seed was 0-2 down before finally breaking Sonkusare’s serves to initiate an amazing comeback.
However, in the second set, complacency crept into Ungrish’s gameplay which saw her commit two frustrating unforced errors which allowed Sonkusare to break her serve.
In the third and final set, Ungrish was able to recover well and took advantage of her fatigued opponent.
Breaking Sonkusare’s serve early in the first set proved to be the perfect catalyst for Ungrish’s recovery as the youngster moved Sonkusare around with her accurate forehand strokes before clinching a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory in the semis. Ungrish will now face Hyderabad’s Rishitha Reddy in the final. Reddy continued her fine run of form by nabbing her fourth successive straight-set victory of the tournament after she eliminated Pune’s Siya Prasade 6-4, 6-2 in the other semifinal encounter.
By the stats
Arnav Paparkar vs Tanussh Ghildyal
1 Aces 0
17 Faults 24
0 Double Faults 1
7 Unforced Errors 8
6/9 Breakpoints 2/9
Result: Arnav Paparkar bt Tanussh Ghildyal 7-5, 6-0
Winner speaks
“I knew I was going to lose my first game of the tournament against him [Tanussh Ghildyal]. I have played against him four times and all the games have been challenging. He got tired in the second set and I capitalised on that to finish the match. It is a huge confidence boost for me and I am all set for the final now.” - Arnav Paparkar.
Divya Ungrish vs Aakruti Sonkusare
0 Aces 0
21 Faults 23
4 Double Faults 4
8 Unforced Errors 4
7/11 Breakpoints 4/9
Divya Ungrish bt Aakruti Sonkusare 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.
Winner speaks
“It was a very poor start as I went 0-2 down in the first set and then came back to win it 6-2. I was careless in the second which is why I lost that set. I kept my best serves and strokes for the final set in which I did the best I could and managed to nab a crucial win. Now the only thing I want to focus on is the final.” - Divya Ungrish.
Semifinals, other results:
Rishitha Reddy bt Siya Prasade 6-4, 6-2
Samarth Sahita bt Hrishikesh Ramanathan 6-1, 6-1
Winners’ speak
“Compared to the other games, the clash with Siya [Prasade] was quite challenging. The most challenging and nervous moment was when the set was tied at 4-4. Thankfully, I got the better of her and took the first set which gave me a huge boost. Playing in the final will be more challenging but I am ready for it.” - Rishitha Reddy.
“It took me around two to three games to adjust on the court. I took my time to understand his [Hrishikesh Ramanathan’s] gameplan and then played accordingly. His serves were a little slow which made it easy for me to counter them. I know the final will definitely be more challenging so I am looking forward to it.” - Samarth Sahita.