Will there be new champions from the Fenesta National tennis championship this time ?
With a bunch of former champions, including the defending champions Manish Sureshkumar and Vaidehi Chaudhari strengthening the field, it is not going to be easy for the new stars to assert their prowess.
S.D. Prajwal Dev, the top seed can turn the script around, as he has had commendable success in the international circuit, which has positioned him as the seventh best in the country in men’s ranking list.
He opens against a qualifier and finds seventh seed Ishaque Eqbal in his quarter. Former champions Siddharth Vishwakarma and V.M. Ranjeet figure in the second quarter. Manish, seeded fourth, is in the third quarter with Nitin Kumar Sinha.
Olympian Vishnu Vardhan, who has worked a lot on his physical fitness, following a stint with the ONGC Territorial Army, could be the major stumbling block for the second seed Karan Singh in the fourth quarter.
In the women’s section, Vaidehi finds a bunch of qualifiers in the top quarter apart from seventh seed Lakshmi Prabha.
The young Sahira Singh opens against Akanksha Nitture. Second seed Shrivalli Bhamidipaty could find her rhythm to assert her explosive game. Vaishnavi Adkar has been showing considerable improvement in recent events. The presence of experienced players like Sharmada Balu and Sai Samhitha would lend the desired variety and craft to the field.
The juniors will also be vying for some attention in the under-18 events being held concurrently.
Overall, it will be a festive atmosphere once again at the DLTA Complex from Monday, as the tournament has grown in strength over time from 1992. The DCM Shriram group has been supporting Indian tennis relentlessly over three decades.
With the men’s and women’s champions being awarded an equal prize money of Rs. 3,00,000, it is easily the best competition at home for the players to gauge their strength.
The seedings: Men: 1. S.D. Prajwal Dev, 2. Karan Singh, 3. Siddharth Vishwakarma, 4. Manish Sureshkumar, 5. Nitin Kumar Sinha, 6. VM Ranjeet, 7. Ishaque Eqbal, 8. Vishnu Vardhan.
Women: 1. Vaidehi Chaudhari, 2. Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, 3. Sandeepti Singh Rao, 4. Vaishnavi Adkar, 5. Sharmada Balu, 6. Sahira SIngh, 7. Lakshmi Prabha, 8. Sai Samhitha.
