Goemkarponn desk
MARGAO: Vidhi Naik and Gargi Oak advanced to the semi-finals of the girls’ under-18 category at the ongoing BPS All-Goa State Ranking Tennis Tournament 2023 at Margao on Tuesday, with easy wins against their rivals Kimberly D’Sa and Anika Kumar.
Naik swept away D’Sa (6-0), while Oak conceded only one game in her victory against Kumar (6-1) to reach the semis. In other matches in the same category, Tvisha Sardesai and Avni Lotlikar stretched their match into a tie-break, with Sardesai eventually pipping Lotlikar to the post, winning 7-6(5). In the same event, Ahana Kumar also defeated Lucy Viegas (6-1).
In the men’s singles category, Rajaram Kundaikar and Akhil Shirwaikar scored easy wins over their rivals Punit Fadte and Chinmay Kantak, respectively, with identical match scores of 6-1. In other men’s singles events, Prince Agnelo trounced Brian Fernandes (6-0), while Jasmeet Sawhney took the fight to Mano Chhabra but eventually lost 6-4.
Darsh Pai defeated Arhan Gaonkar (6-1) in the boy’s under-18 singles category. Kabir Gadre and Punit Fadte also made light of their contests with Krishna Volvoikar and Gaurang Nerurkar, respectively, defeating the latter two (6-1). In another match in the same category, Rajanikant Mahatme had to resort to a tie-break to defeat his rival Vivaan Agarwal in a closely fought encounter 7-6(5).
In all, 126 tennis players have registered to participate in the BPS All-Goa State Ranking Tennis Tournament 2023, organised jointly by the prestigious BPS Sports Club in Margao and the Goa State Tennis Association (GSTA). The total prize money for winners of the various categories in the tournament is Rs. 70,000.
