Bengaluru, Aug 27 (IANS) The Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) is set to host the KSLTA World Tennis Junior J30 Bengaluru from August 29 to September 5, with a strong field of India's leading junior players and youngsters representing several countries set to compete at the S.M. Krishna Tennis Stadium.
The tournament will commence with the qualifying rounds on August 29 and 30, while the main draw will be played from August 31 to September 5, with the formal inauguration to be held on Monday.
The boys' main draw is headed by India's Prakaash Sarran, ranked No. 477 in the ITF Junior rankings, followed by Tejas Ravi (1049), Ahan Shetty (1282), Pradnyesh Shelke (1384) and Niyanth Badrinarayanan of the USA (1510). Other leading names include Fazal Ali Meer (1540), Aarush Kote of the USA (1682), Nithinbarath KS (1703), Shlok Chauhan (1729) and Parthiv Nallagundla (1790).
The boys' field also features international representation from China, the USA, Nepal, the United Kingdom, Australia, Maldives, Germany and Portugal, adding an international dimension to the competition.
Meanwhile, promising youngsters Shreyanth Mahantesh and Yash Kumar (both Karnataka), and Adwaiy Vyas and Vishwak Reddy Gunampally have been given wild cards for the main draw in the boys category, while Dhaanvi Kanjithanda and Karthika Padmakumar (both Karnataka) and Anjhalle Meka and Banu G Aswin have been handed the wild cards in the girls category.
The girls' main draw will be led by Shaivi Gaurav Dalal of India, ranked No. 867, with Disha Kumar (1011), Shreeniti Chowdhury (1158), Aahida Singh (1280), Vasundra Balajee (1341) and Tejaswi Manneni (1433) among the leading entries. Tanishca Bhatnagar (1616), Riddhi Shinde (1634), Jahnavi Tammineedi (1742), Zoha Qureshi (1760), Aditi Paturi of the USA (1930) and Swasti Singh (2013) are also part of the strong field.
The qualifying draw further widens the international representation, with players from the USA, Great Britain and Australia joining the Indian contingent.
For the young players, the J30 tournament represents an important step in their international competitive journey, providing them with the opportunity to compete for ITF Junior ranking points while gaining experience against players from different countries.
Sunil Yajaman, Hon. Joint Secretary, KSLTA, said: "Junior tennis is all about creating opportunities, and that is exactly what a J30 event provides. A youngster can come into KSLTA this week as an unknown player and leave with ranking points, international experience and, perhaps most importantly, greater belief in his or her ability. "
"For KSLTA, hosting international junior tournaments is an investment in the future of tennis. We want Karnataka youngsters to have the opportunity to play international competition in their own backyard rather than always having to travel outside the state,” he added.
Peter Vijaykumar, Tournament Director, said: "We are looking forward to an exciting week of junior tennis. The acceptance list has a good mix of players from India and overseas. For these youngsters, every match is an opportunity to gain international ranking points and, equally importantly, learn to compete under pressure."
"Our focus will be on ensuring that the players get the best possible conditions to compete and that the tournament runs smoothly.”
The tournament is also expected to provide a valuable platform for Karnataka's emerging juniors, who will get an opportunity to test themselves against higher-ranked players and international competition.
--IANS
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