Arunava Majumder, Manas Dhamne win doubles title

The all-round ability and a calm demeanour proved decisive as third seeds Manas Dhamne and Arunava Majumder won the boys doubles title, beating Jasmeet Duhan and Rushil Khosla in the Asian under-14 grade-A junior tennis tournament at the DLTA Complex on Friday.

Manas and Arunava were particularly impressive with their ability to be unflinching at the net and play the volleys with accuracy.

The left-handed Rushil and Jasmeet made a fight of it in taking the match into the super tie-break, after a slow start.
However, the two were erratic in the tie-break, as Manas and Arunava took a 5-1 lead for the first change.

Thereafter, there was some fight to make it 5-7 before the second change of sides. A double fault at this stage, possibly owing to nerves by Jasmeet, eroded the confidence of the team.

Manas and Arunava were solid on the next two points to close out the match, and Manas let out his trademark war cry, to signal triumph.

In the girls doubles final, Pari Singh and Shruti Ahlawat packed a lot of punch in their game to overwhelm Maisha Rao and Chandni Srinivasan. Pari and Shruti prevailed 6-0, 6-2.

It was a good preparation for Pari for the singles final on Saturday against Nandini Dixit.

Pari who trains on the same courts with coach Shalini Thakur Chawla has improved a lot in a season in which she has been unlucky to miss many chances, including the opportunity to be part of the ITF Asian team on the European circuit owing to visa issues.

Every disappointment has only strengthened the bespectacled Pari’s resolve to keep getting better with her game and fitness.

Nandini who trains with coach Vishaal Uppal has also shown a lot of improvement in terms of dealing with different opponents. She would be keen to assert her strong groundstrokes against Pari whom she has not beaten in three meetings so far.

The boys final will be between Yuvan Nandal and Agriya Yadav, both of whom regularly train at the Impact Academy in Thailand with coach Stephen Koon.

Yuvan definitely has a better build and game, but it remains to be seen as to how well the two compete and bring the best out of each other on Saturday.

A day’s rest after the semifinals may be a luxury at this level, but should help the boys be at their competitive best on Saturday.

The results (finals):

Boys doubles: Manas Dhamne & Arunava Majumder bt Jasmeet Duhan & Rushil Khosla 6-3, 5-7, [10-5].

Girls doubles: Shruti Ahlawat & Pari Singh bt Maisha Rao & Chandni Srinivasan 6-0, 6-2.