After a nail-biting semi-final match, unseeded Hitesh Chauhan is set to face Serbian Aleksandar Daskalovic in the final match of the MSLTA – ITF Junior Grade 3 U18 Tennis Championships at the Deccan Gymkhana court on Saturday. Chauhan had a subdued start against 17-year-old compatriot Adhirit Awal with 5-7 down in the first set.
But, he soon found his stride in the second set to clinch it 7-6(4). Awal, however, fought neck-in-neck with Chauhan to stretch the third set to a tie-breaker, and seized the final set 7-6(9). “…The first set went away from me as my opponent is a talented sportsperson, and his game was tricky for me to comprehend,” said 14-year-old Chauhan from Ludhiana.
Chauhan, who trains under Aditya Sachdeva at RoundGlass Tennis Academy in Chandigarh, was pleasantly proud to be in his first J3 finals. He clinched a J5 title in Gurugram, and U16 singles at the Fenesta National Tennis Championships earlier this year.
Local girl third-seeded Madhurima Sawant will take on the seventh-seeded French tennis player, Margot Phanthala, in the finals. In the doubles, top-seeded pair — Aman Dahiya and Kriish Tyagi — scored a 6-2 7-6(3) win over the second-seeded duo —Bushan Haobam and Daksh Prasad — to claim the boy’s doubles crown. The second-seeded Thailand pair — Kamonwan Yodpetch and Lidia Podgorichani — had a 6-4, 6-3 win over the Indian duo — Ruma Gaikaiwari and Madhurima Sawant — to clinch the title.