Khushi Kadian secures hat-trick with U-16 and U-14 singles wins at Fenesta Open

Khushi Kadian of Haryana completed a hat-trick at the 31st Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship by winning the Girls U-16 and U-14 singles titles on October 18, following her U-16 doubles victory the previous day.

Kadian started the day with a 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 victory over Ranjhana Sangram in the U-16 singles final. Later, she defeated second seed Siddhi Pandey 6-3, 6-2 in the U-14 singles final in one hour and 16 minutes, according to a press release.

Make The News Mill your preferred source

See more TNM stories when you search for news on Google.

“It is very important to me, and I feel really great about winning these titles,” Kadian said after her second match of the day. “The whole week has been very great for me, playing 15 matches in a row in one week. This was a test for me, and thankfully I have passed through this test quite successfully. I am very happy that my hard work has paid off. This is the biggest tournament we have, and I wanted to win this tournament at least once in my career.”

Kadian acknowledged the support of her parents and coaching team. She also reflected on a previous injury: “My mother and my father, they keep me motivated and especially my coaches. They all keep supporting me. I’m so happy that they are there for me and clapping for every point and motivating me. A few years back, in the Under-12 nationals, I got injured badly, and I wanted to win those nationals but couldn’t. So, I really wanted to win the Nationals this time, and I’m very happy about it.”

In the Boys category, Chandigarh’s Ribhav Saroha secured both the U-16 singles title and the U-18 crown he won last weekend. Saroha, the top seed, defeated unseeded Yashwin Dahiya 6-2, 6-3 in the U-16 final in one hour and 32 minutes.

“It feels great, to be honest. It’s a really special feeling for me,” Saroha said. “This is the National tournament of India which is really prestigious to me and I feel really great. I’m really grateful to the people who have supported me in this success.” He added, “Winning the Under-18 for me is really special. Competing against players who are older than me, it’s really great to compete with them and to win the Under-18s, it’s been really special.”

The prize distribution ceremony was attended by Saket Jain, Executive Director and Business Head of Fenesta Building Systems, Indian hockey player and 2026 Asian Games gold medallist Jyoti Rumavat, and Asian Games shooting silver medallist Niraj Kumar.

Jain said, “Reaching the national stage at such a young age is an achievement in itself. It takes countless hours of practice, sacrifices, discipline and, above all, the courage to compete. We celebrate the talent and achievements of our Under-16 and Under-14 boys and girls. Our association with Indian tennis through the Fenesta Open spans over 3 decades. Building champions requires more than talent alone. That is why we are taking our commitment a step further this year. In addition to the championship prize money, we have introduced an additional

11 lakh Player Development Scholarship to support the winners and runners-up in their journey ahead. The scholarship will help players invest in essential aspects of their development, including coaching, physiotherapy, fitness & tennis equipment.”

Rumavat commented, “It was wonderful to see young tennis players compete with such passion and determination. Events like the Fenesta National Tennis Championship provide a great platform for emerging talent and play an important role in encouraging youngsters to pursue sports and strive for excellence.”

Kumar added, “Sport teaches you discipline, focus and the importance of performing under pressure, values that are relevant across every discipline. It is encouraging to see young tennis players get the opportunity to showcase their talent at a national-level championship like Fenesta, and I hope they continue to work hard and aim high.”

Meanwhile, Karnataka’s Puneeth Manohar completed a double in the Boys U-14 category by winning the singles title in addition to the doubles crown secured on October 17. The second seed defeated fifth seed S. Chintagunta 6-3, 6-2 in the final over one hour and 28 minutes.

Manohar said, “I am very happy that I won the tournament. The score was 6-3, 6-2 but it was a good fight from my opponent and I am happy that I got the win. Now that I am done with the U-14, I will be focusing more on the U-18 World Tennis Tour.”