New Delhi [India], October 18 (ANI): A day after winning the U-16 doubles title, Haryana’s Khushi Kadian completed a hattrick at the 31st Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship on Saturday by winning the Girls U-16 and U-16 singles titles to cap an extraordinary week.
Kadian began the day with a hard-fought 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 win over Ranjhana Sangram in the U-16 singles final before returning to the court later in the afternoon to defeat second seed Siddhi Pandey 6-3, 6-2 in the U-14 singles final in one hour and 16 minutes, as per a press release.
“It is very important to me, and I feel really great about winning these titles,” Kadian said after her second match of the day. “The whole week has been very great for me, playing 15 matches in a row in one week. This was a test for me, and thankfully I have passed through this test quite successfully. I am very happy that my hard work has paid off. This is the biggest tournament we have, and I wanted to win this tournament at least once in my career.”
Kadian credited her parents and coaching team for their constant support and encouragement. The triumph also helped her overcome painful memories from an earlier edition of the Nationals.
“I want to be an inspiration,” she added. “My mother and my father, they keep me motivated and especially my coaches. They all keep supporting me. I'm so happy that they are there for me and clapping for every point and motivating me. A few years back, in the Under-12 nationals, I got injured badly, and I wanted to win those nationals but couldn’t. So, I really wanted to win the Nationals this time, and I'm very happy about it.”
Chandigarh’s Ribhav Saroha also completed a memorable double, adding the Boys U-16 singles title to the U-18 crown he won last weekend. The top seed defeated unseeded Yashwin Dahiya 6-2, 6-3 in the final in one hour and 32 minutes.
“It feels great, to be honest. It's a really special feeling for me,” Saroha said. “This is the National tournament of India which is really prestigious to me and I feel really great. I'm really grateful to the people who have supported me in this success.”
Saroha said winning the U-18 title was particularly special because he had to compete against older players. “Winning the Under-18 for me is really special. Competing against players who are older than me, it's really great to compete with them and to win the Under-18s, it's been really special.”
Saket Jain, Executive Director and Business Head of Fenesta Building Systems, Indian hockey player and 2026 Asian Games gold medallist Jyoti Rumavat, and Asian Games shooting silver medallist Niraj Kumar graced the occasion as chief guests and were present for the prize distribution ceremony.
“Reaching the national stage at such a young age is an achievement in itself,” Jain said during the prize distribution ceremony. “It takes countless hours of practice, sacrifices, discipline and, above all, the courage to compete. We celebrate the talent and achievements of our Under-16 and Under-14 boys and girls. Our association with Indian tennis through the Fenesta Open spans over 3 decades. Building champions requires more than talent alone. That is why we are taking our commitment a step further this year. In addition to the championship prize money, we have introduced an additional ₹11 lakh Player Development Scholarship to support the winners and runners-up in their journey ahead. The scholarship will help players invest in essential aspects of their development, including coaching, physiotherapy, fitness & tennis equipment.”
“It was wonderful to see young tennis players compete with such passion and determination,” Rumavat said. “Events like the Fenesta National Tennis Championship provide a great platform for emerging talent and play an important role in encouraging youngsters to pursue sports and strive for excellence.”
“Sport teaches you discipline, focus and the importance of performing under pressure, values that are relevant across every discipline,” Kumar said. “It is encouraging to see young tennis players get the opportunity to showcase their talent at a national-level championship like Fenesta, and I hope they continue to work hard and aim high.”
Meanwhile, Karnataka’s Puneeth Manohar completed a double in the Boys U-14 category, adding the singles title to the doubles crown he won on Friday. The second seed defeated fifth seed S. Chintagunta 6-3, 6-2 in the final in one hour and 28 minutes.
“I am very happy that I won the tournament,” Manohar said after the match. “The score was 6-3, 6-2 but it was a good fight from my opponent and I am happy that I got the win. Now that I am done with the U-14, I will be focusing more on the U-18 World Tennis Tour.” (ANI)
Khushi Kadian completes hattrick by winning U-16 and U-14 singles titles at Fenesta Open
