Top seeds Vishnu, Vaidehee make strong starts at Fenesta Open National Tennis C'ship

New Delhi, Sep 30 (PTI) Top seeds Vishnu Vardhan and Vaidehee Chaudhari began their campaigns with fighting wins on the opening day of the 29th Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship at the DLTA Complex here on Monday.

Vishnu, a multiple Asian Games medallist, faced a tough challenge from Haryana's Udit Kamboj but secured a 7-5, 6-1 victory. After a tightly contested first set, he capitalized on his experience to take control in the second.

Vishnu, a former Davis Cupper, encountered difficulties at the beginning of the match as Udit never allowed him to take a big lead in the opening set with his quick movement along the baseline and powerful forehands.

The score was level 5-5 when Vishnu utilised his experience and kept his cool to play accurate shots. The two-time national champion won the next two games to clinch the set and then took control of the following set, registering a crucial win.

In women's singles, Vaidehee, the 2022 Fenesta National champion, defeated Saily Thakkar 6-2, 6-4, showcasing her skill with impressive shots.

Vaidehee made a positive start in the first set and quickly took the lead before winning it 6-2 with a phenomenal cross-court forehand.

The second set saw Saily fighting for every point in the beginning but Vaidehee soon took control and won it 6-4 to reach the second round.

In another women's singles match, Karnataka's Soha Sadiq clinched an easy 6-0, 6-1 victory over Delhi's Kashish Bhatia.

In an upset, Tamil Nadu's Abhinav Sanjeev (Ranked 32) triumphed over third seed Ishaque Eqbal, winning 6-1, 7-6 (5). Sixth seed Ranjeet VM also advanced, defeating Oges Prakash 6-0, 6-2.

With a prize pool exceeding Rs 21.55 lakh, the tournament continues to attract top talent from across India. PTI ATK AH AH