MSLTA-CCI All-India Ranking Tennis Tournament: Aaradhya Meena & Ansh Ramani Win Maiden Crowns

Top seed Aaradhya Meena of Rajasthan and Maharashtra’s Ansh  Ramani won their maiden girls’ and boys’ U-14 crowns respectively in the MSLTA-CCI All-India Ranking Tennis Tournament played at the CCI Tennis Courts on Saturday.

The 13-year-old Aaradhya, who trains under coach Sonu Khan at the Shree Ram Lawn Tennis Academy in Haryana encountered initial resistance from Karnataka’s 12-year-old third seed Padmapriya Ramesh Kumar. But, she came into her own in the second, which won without conceding a point and charged to a straight-set 6-4, 6-0 victory without much ado.

On the adjacent court, seventh seed Ansh, 13, was locked in an absorbing long contest for supremacy with Karnataka’s ninth seed Madhav Dadhich, also 13, in the sweltering heat. The Mumbai-based Ansh managed to stay focused and won a thrilling three-setter at 6-3, 2-6, and 6-2.

Ansh, who trains with Alon Moses at the Touch Tennis Academy in Mumbai, and Madhav, who practices at the Transform Tennis Academy in Bengaluru, were positive in their approach. They slugged it out from the baseline and engaged in long rallies.

"I had, earlier played twice here in Mumbai, but on both occasions" - Aaradhya Meena

After they shared the first two sets, Ansh played with more confidence and better consistency while Madhav committed too many unforced errors and could stop his rival from wrapping up the contest with two crucial breaks in the sixth and eighth games.

Aaradhya mentioned that for her it was third time lucky. “I had, earlier played twice here in Mumbai, but on both occasions, I failed to cross the second round. I am so thrilled and excited to win the title,” said Aaradhya, who at the age of 11 had won the AITA National Series girl’s U-16 title in Jalandhar in 2022 and, the following two years, she won three more National Series U-16 titles.

Published on: Sunday, October 27, 2024, 12:33 PM IST