All-India Ranking Tennis: Aaradhya, Ansh win MSLTA-CCI crowns

MUMBAI — 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 here 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 and won it 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.

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.

She had at the age of 11 won the AITA National Series girl’s U-16 title in Jalandhar in 2022 and, the following two years, won three more National Series U-16 titles.