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U12 national ranking tennis: Pune’s Paparkar clinches title; Reddy upsets Ungrish
Local favourite beat Sahita 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to clinch his second title in two months.
PUNE The match’s only double fault was enough to turn things around for Arnav Paparkar in the final of the MSLTA-APMTA all India-ranking super series under12 tennis tournament 2020 at the Deccan Gymkhana tennis courts on Friday morning.
Tournament’s top seed Paparkar was playing second seed , against Samarth Sahita, and both were about to lose a set for the first time in the tournament.
At the end of the match, Paparkar reigned supreme, beating Sahita 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to clinch his second title in two months.
Adding to the drama, second seed Rishitha Reddy, from Hyderabad, shocked top seed Divya Ungrish, from Delhi, after brushing the national number 4 aside, 6-3, 6-1 in straight sets.
Reddy has now claimed two titles in her two visits to the city.
In 2016, Reddy participated and won a singles’ title in an under-8 open championship in Pune.
Now, the 11-year-old returned to add another title to her trophy cabinet after finishing the final in 70 minutes.
Reddy finished as runner-up in the double’s category, after the team of Ungrish and Aakruti Sonkusare outplayed her and her partner Siya Prasade in the final on Thursday evening.
Arnav Paparkar vs Samarth Sahita
First set, 4-6 Sahita
The clash between the top two seeds of the tournament was always going to go down to the wire. Both players had different styles of play. In a tight contest with very few rallies, both players did not give their opponents any room in the initial stages. The set was tied at 4-4 in the eighth game.
The first blow was finally dealt in the 10th game of the match, allowing Sahita to take the lead. The 11-year-old from Mumbai took full advantage of Paparkar’s complacency and handed the local boy his first set loss of the tournament.
Second set, 6-4 Paparkar
The second set was like a mirror image of the first. Both competitors were deadlocked after they managed to defend their serve and pocket the four games each. Under pressure after seeing Paparkar propel himself to a 30-0 lead in the 10th game, it was time for Sahita to fumble. Sahita as smashed his serve into the net, twice, giving Paparkar the point he needed to win the second set and restore parity.
Third set, 6-2 Paparkar
The paradigm finally shifted in the third set after Sahita took the early advantage of Paparkar’s complacency as he broke the 12-year-old’s serve in the first game itself. Just when it seemed that the momentum would swing in favour of the second seed, Paparkar bounced back in the following game and broke Sahita’s serve to make it even again. After defending his serve in the following game, Paparkar disallowed Sahita to draw level and broke the youngster’s serve yet again.
In the fifth game, Paparkar shot himself into a 4-1 lead, leaving Sahita in a state of chaos and panic. Committing several unforced errors, overhitting shots, and netting backhand slices, Sahita saw his third successive serve broken by Paparkar as his grip on the final loosened. Sahita tried to bounce back and managed to break Paparkar back in the seventh game but it was too little too late as it only counted as a consolation point after Paparkar wrapped the match up in the following game.
Match stats
Paparkar vs Sahita
0 Aces 0
11 Faults 14
0 Double Faults 1
7 Unforced Errors 9
5/7 Breakpoints 3/6
Result: Arnav Paparkar (Pune) bt Samarth Sahita (Mumbai) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Rishitha Reddy vs Divya Ungrish
First set, Reddy 6-3
Both players started off really strong as they broke each other’s serve in the first four games of the set. Smashing accurate backhands and even forehands, Reddy finally managed to be the first one in the match to hold and defend her serve in the fifth game. However, Ungrish was unable to replicate this as she was broken for the third successive time in the 6th game. After the advantage swung in favour of Reddy, both players defended their serves till Reddy emerged victorious in the first set.
Second set, Reddy 6-1
As Ungrish’s morale was dealt a blow after the first set, she was a tad shaky in the second. Taking advantage of the situation, Reddy kept her head in the game and placed her shots well. Not attempting anything risky, Reddy was able to defend her serves in the second set and went on to break Ungrish again in the third game. Reddy extended her lead in the following game and broke Ungrish yet again in the fifth game.
During both sets, Ungrish gifted silly points to Reddy as she committed four double faults which made it simple for Reddy to break her serve. Three of those came in the second set provided an added advantage for Reddy. Playing a match for just 70 minutes, Reddy finished the final in style as she thumped the top seed in the second set and in the entire match as she swept the young Delhite aside in straight sets.
Match stats
Ungrish vs Reddy
0 Aces 0
19 Faults 13
4 Double Faults 2
5 Unforced Errors 2
2/3 Breakpoints 6/8
Result: Rishitha Reddy (Hyderabad) bt Divya Ungrish (Delhi) 6-3, 6-1
