Vishwakarma upsets Kadhe in national final; Mahak crowned
NEW DELHI: Siddharth Vishwakarma stunned top seed Arjun Kadhe to clinch the men’s singles at the Fenesta Open national tennis championships here on Saturday. Serving with power and hitting ferocious strokes, Siddharth won 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-3 to grab his maiden national title.
In the women’s final, Mahak Jain was too good for Natasha Palha. The 17-year-old raced to a 6-1, 6-2 victory, claiming her second successive national title. Playing in junior Grand Slams has raised the confidence of the Indore teenager.
In the boys’ u-18 final, Siddhanth Banthia defeated Calvin Golmei 7-6, 6-2. The girls’ u-18 title was won by Humera Shaik, who beat Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty 6-2, 6-4.
The men’s final was entertaining. It hardly mattered that Varanasi boy Vishwakarma is ranked 1221 on the ATP charts, way below Kadhe’s 358.
Kadhe has built a reputation after playing in the US collegiate circuit. Vishwakarma, however, didn’t show any nerves. He broke Kadhe’s serve straight away and ran up a 4-1 lead. The tall left- hander gives the ball a rip with heavy top spin, a weapon his rivals have found difficult to pick.
Kadhe regrouped in the second set and got the break but dropped serve before clinching the tiebreaker. Vishwakarma took control in the decider, pounding winners to get an early break. Kadhe failed to convert a break point in the ninth game and Vishwakarma signed off with an ace. The winers were given ~3 lakh each and the runners-up ~2 lakh each.former hockey captain Sardar Singh gave away the prizes.