Pranav Karthik Stuns Udit Kamboj in Fenesta Open Upset

Karthik's Remarkable Comeback

In a thrilling match at the 31st Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship, held on October 7, 21-year-old Pranav Karthik from Tamil Nadu pulled off a stunning upset by overcoming No. 4 seed Udit Kamboj in the second round. After losing the first set 6-1, Karthik fought back fiercely, winning the second set in a tiebreak 7-3, and ultimately clinching the match with a score of 1-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 over a duration of 2 hours and 31 minutes, as reported by the Fenesta Open.

Reflecting on his performance, Karthik admitted, "Honestly, I thought I was going to lose after that tough first set. I focused on serving well and maintaining my service games. The tiebreak felt like a 50-50 chance, but I managed to secure it with a few strong points. Gaining that tiebreak victory boosted my confidence, and I began to take more risks with my shots. The first game of the third set is crucial; I aimed to keep the pressure on and thankfully broke early, allowing me to dominate the match thereafter."

Top Seeds Advance Smoothly

In other matches, the top seed in the men's category, Manish Sureshkumar, had a straightforward victory against Lakshit Sood, winning 6-0, 6-1 to move into the quarterfinals. He was joined by No. 6 seed Maan Kesharwani, No. 8 seed Rohan Mehra, and Suraj Prabodh, who eliminated second seed Aditya Balsekar in the previous round. Sureshkumar, along with his doubles partner Nitin Sinha, also holds the top seed in the men's doubles and is set to compete in their quarter-final match later today.

In the women's singles, the top five players secured their spots in the quarterfinals. Vaidehee Chaudhari triumphed over 16-year-old Ahaan Ahaan with a score of 6-4, 6-1, while Shruti Ahlawat defeated Parthsarthi Mundhe 6-2, 6-2. Ahlawat commented on her match, stating, "It wasn't easy; my opponent played well. I had to focus on winning each point. The score may seem straightforward, but the match was competitive. I'm concentrating on one match at a time rather than fixating on winning the tournament."

Exciting Matches in U-18 Categories

In the Boys U-18 singles, a significant upset occurred as top seed Praneel Sharma was defeated by Veer Jiten Madam with a score of 7-6 (7-4), 6-4. Fourth seed Om Ramesh Patel and fifth seed Aditya Mor also advanced to the quarterfinals with straight-set victories. Meanwhile, in the Girls U-18 event, top seed Savitha Bhuvaneswaran faced a tough challenge from 14th seed Aahida Singh, who ultimately had to retire after a grueling match lasting 2 hours and 45 minutes, with Bhuvaneswaran leading 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 3-0. Bhuvaneswaran will be joined in the quarterfinals by second seed Parthsarthi Mundhe and third seed Shreeniti Chowdhury.

Match Results Overview

Men's Singles Second Round Results:

• Manish Sureshkumar [1] def. Lakshit Sood 6-0, 6-1


• Pranav Karthik def. Udit Kamboj [4] 1-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2


• Maan Kesharwani [6] def. Rohith Gobinath 6-1, 6-2


• Rohan Mehra [8] def. Ajay Malik 7-6 (7-3), 6-3


• Suraj R Prabodh def. Debasis Sahoo 6-4, 6-4


• R Jaisinghani def. Prakaash Sarran 6-5, 7-6 (9-7)


• Parth Aggarwal def. Deep Munim 7-5, 6-2

Women's Singles Second Round Results:

• Vaidehee Chaudhari [1] def. Aahan Aahan 6-4, 6-1


• Shruti Ahlawat [2] def. P Mundhe 6-1, 6-3


• Akanksha Nitture [3] def. Yubrani Banerjee 6-1, 4-6, 6-1


• Sonal Patil [4] def. Akansha Ghosh 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4


• Aditi Rawat [5] def. A Sonkusare 6-3, 3-6, 6-2


• Laxmi Siri Dandu [7] def. Bela S Tamhankar 6-0 (retd.)


• Sohini Mohanty [8] def. A Jadhav 6-3, 6-2


• Soha Sadiq def. Saily Thakkar 6-1, 6-0