Yugraj rallies into semis on day of upsets

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 25  

Yugraj Singh rallied from a set down to upset top seed Abhay Chhabra of Delhi in the boys’ U-14 quarterfinals in the CLTA-AITA Championship Series (CS-7) Tennis Tournament at the CLTA Complex, Sector 10, here on Wednesday. 

Yugraj lost the opening set 5-7, but came back strongly to win the next two sets 6-2 6-4 to make it to the semifinals.

In another upset of the day, unranked Samar Bir Singh Sidhu of Punjab got the better of fifth seed Aryan Thakur. 

Sidhu started with a 6-2 win, but Thakur came back in to the match with a 6-4 win in the second set. Sidhu, though, held his nerve to seal the decider 7-5.   

Third seed Arhaan Pahwa of Chandigarh registered a 6-0 6-2 win over Aditya Goyat of Punjab, while fourth seed Shivdev Singh Walia of Haryana blanked eighth seed Madhav Sharma 6-0 6-0.

Drona in semis 

In the boys’ U-18 category, Drona Walia of Uttarakhand continued his winning streak with a 6-2 6-1 win over fifth seed Bhupender Dahiya of Haryana. 

Third seed Naresh Badgujar overcame Devesh Pratap Pahuja 6-2 7-5, while fourth seed Uddayvir Singh humbled Punjab’s Kartik Parhar 6-2 6-3 in the quarterfinals. 

Haryana’s Shashikant Rajput reached the semifinals after registering a 6-4 6-3 win over Yuvraj Singh Kooka. 

Nimrat moves ahead

Top seed Nimrat Kaur Atwal, meanwhile, lived up to her billing as she dominated sixth seed Harnoor Kaur of Haryana 6-0 6-1 to ease into the last-four stage of the championship in the girls’ U-14 category. 

Jyotsana Yadav upset seventh seed Harleen Kaur Dhanda 6-4 6-0, while Suryanshi Tanwar registered a 6-1 6-0 win over eighth seed Vanya Arora. Fifth seed Catherine Bhangu surprised fourth seed Radhika Vasudeva in a marathon three-setter.  

Catherine won the first set 7-5, but Radhika clawed her way back into the match with a 7-6(2) win in the second set. Catherine, though, regained her composure to seal the final set 6-4 and advanced to the semifinals. 

Himaanshika surges

In the girls’ U-18 quarterfinals, top seed Himaanshika handed a 6-1 6-0 drubbing to Radhika Vasudeva, while sixth seed Princy Panchal stunned fourth seed Simran Pritam 6-4 6-4. Second seed Sarah Dev dismissed Suryanshi Tanwar 6-0 6-0. 

Seventh seed Nimrat Kaur Atwal downed Amreen Sindh 6-2 6-2. 

The semifinals matches will be held on Thursday.

Quarterfinals 

Boys’ U-14: Yugraj Singh bt Abhay Chhabra 5-7 6-2 6-4, Arhaan Pahwa bt Aditya Goyat 6-0 6-2, Shivdev Singh Walia bt Madhav Sharma 6-0 6-0, Samar Bir Singh Sidhu bt Aryan Thakur 6-2 4-6 7-5  

Boys’ U-18: Drona Walia bt Bhupender Dahiya 6-2 6-1, Naresh Badgujar bt Devesh Pratap Pahuja 6-2 7-5, Uddayvir Singh bt Kartik Parhar 6-2 6-3, Shashikant Rajput bt Yuvraj Singh Kooka 6-4 6-3  

Girls’ U-18: Himaanshika bt Radhika Vasudeva 6-1 6-0, Princy Panchal bt Simran Pritam 6-46-4, Nimrat Kaur Atwal bt Amreen Sindh 6-2 6-2, Sarah Dev bt Suryanshi Tanwar 6-0 6-0  

Girls’ U-14: Nimrat Kaur Atwal bt Harnoor Kaur 6-0 6-1, Catherine Bhangu bt Radhika Vasudeva 7-5 6-7(2) 6-4, Jyotsana Yadav bt Harleen Kaur Dhanda 6-4 6-0, Suryanshi Tanwar bt Vanya Arora 6-1 6-0