NEW DELHI, OCT 12 (IANS): Fresh from winning the U-18 boys’ singles title last week, top seed Ribhav Saroha began his U-16 campaign with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Raghav Sarode, while third seed Paranjay Siwach defeated Bhavik 6-1, 6-1 in the Fenesta Open National Tennis Championships in New Delhi on Monday.
The U-16 and U-14 competitions got underway at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA) Complex, with the country’s leading junior players returning to action in the second week of the national championship.
Saroha, who clinched the U-18 title on Saturday, was pleased with his opening-round performance but said he was not taking anything for granted in his bid to complete a double at the tournament. “The confidence is high. If I am performing well in U-18s, obviously my confidence is very high in U-16s as well. I played against Raghav Sarode, and he is a really good friend of mine. The first set was close, but in the second set I was able to pull off quite easily. It was a good match for me,” Saroha said.
Asked about his ambition of winning a second title in as many weeks, Saroha said he was working hard to maintain his form.
“I am working really hard in the second week also for the U-16 title. I have to grind in U-16 as well because you can’t take anything easily in Fenesta Open, as everyone is really good in nationals. “The confidence is really high because I won the U-18s, but I can’t take anything lightly. I am really focused on the U-16 title as well,” he added.
Siwach, meanwhile, produced a commanding performance to get past Bhavik in straight sets and advance in the competition.
Reflecting on his match, the third seed said his opponent had started well, but he managed to stay focused and find his rhythm. “It’s fine, it was a great match, and he was playing good in the start, and at the start of the second set also. But I tried to stay in the game, and I played good,” Siwach said.
Play was running nearly four hours behind schedule after heavy rain in the morning disrupted the day’s programme. The organisers plan to extend the playing day to make up for the lost time, with an extended schedule also planned for Tuesday.
A few of Monday’s remaining matches will be shifted to Tuesday due to heavy rain playing havoc with the schedule at the DLTA Complex.
Apart from top seed Ribhav Saroha and third seed Paranjay Siwach, eighth seed Vivaan Mirdha beat Mahijith Kaura 6-1, 6-2, while fifth seed Divey Malik defeated Sai Kanithi 7-6(3), 6-3.
Seventh seed Jeevith Sathish beat Charchit Boora 6-4, 6-2, and 12th seed Monodip Dey overcame Heet Kandoriya 6-4, 6-0.
In other notable results, 11th seed Rishi Yadav defeated Govardan Suresh 6-2, 6-0, while 16th seed Anay Pandey beat Rishik Kanchugatla 6-1, 6-4. There were also seeded player exits: Yash Sharma, the fourth seed, lost to Aaryan Kirrtane 6-2, 4-6, 6-10.
In the girls’ U-16 singles, Rabiah Dullet defeated Pun Pratiksha 7-5, 6-1, while Pooja Nagaraj registered a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win over Aayushri Tarange.
Sarithra Entoori overcame Japji Badohal 7-6(3), 6-4 in a closely fought contest, and Miraya Agrawal pushed Tejaswi Manneni to a match tie-break before going down 2-6, 6-4, 5-10.
Unnathi Muralidhar advanced with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Janhavi Sawant, while Bawyasri Asr beat Aashi Shamshery 6-2, 6-1.
Shravee Deore defeated Anjhalle Meka 6-2, 6-4, and Aahida Singh recovered from a competitive opening set to beat Shweta Shweta 6-4, 6-0. N Krishnaprabhu also progressed with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Aaradhya Singh, while Sana Varadhamani blanked Diya Harikrishnan 6-0, 6-1.
Elsewhere, Rishita Yadav beat Harini Kanithi 6-2, 6-4, Mehul Malik defeated Aavika Sheoran 6-3, 6-1, and A Brahadeeswaran overcame Kanishkaba Gohil 6-3, 6-2. Aniha Gavinolla recorded one of the most emphatic wins of the day, defeating Sarah Rais 6-0, 6-0, while Manvi Gupta beat Purvi Patwa 6-3, 6-0.