Bengaluru, April 5 (NationPress) Aryan Shah emerged as a prominent young talent representing India at the SM Krishna Memorial Open held in Bengaluru. He made a commendable advance to the quarterfinals before being defeated by the second seed Oliver Crawford. In doubles, he collaborated with Karan Singh, advancing to the semifinals where they faced elimination against USA’s Nick Chappell and Kazakhstan’s Grigoriy Lomakin.

The 19-year-old from Ahmedabad is progressively marking his presence as one of the most thrilling prospects in the Indian junior tennis circuit.

Shah, seeded sixth, concluded his singles journey with a score of 6-3, 6-0 against Crawford on Friday, marking his fourth consecutive loss to the English player. Reflecting on this match, he stated, “I’m unable to surpass him. I can’t pinpoint the reason. Just because I’ve lost to a specific player doesn’t mean I can’t beat him again; I have done it before.”

He ruled out fatigue as a contributing factor, asserting, “I wouldn’t say I was fatigued. As an athlete, I should manage these situations.” When analyzing Crawford’s gameplay, he expressed, “I feel like I struggle to assess his style, and he thrives against mine. He plays with confidence against me. Whatever I hit seems to fall into his range, making him stable and comfortable when he competes against me.”

Even with his early departure from the tournament in Bengaluru, Shah entered the event with strong confidence, having recently ended Jay Clarke’s 14-match winning streak to clinch the ITF M25 Ahmedabad Open, which is his second professional singles title and his first at the M25 level. This achievement also qualified him for the ATP Next Gen Accelerator programme, which ensures him main draw spots in eight ATP Challenger events in the 50 and 75 categories.

Looking forward, Shah remains determined yet realistic. “I haven’t immersed myself fully in the calendar. It’s just my coach and my dad collaborating, as I need to keep financial aspects in mind. I’m not sponsored, so I can’t freely book flights and enter tournaments. I must consider finances, physical readiness, and my overall preparation.” Currently, he is planning to compete in a Challenger event in the Ivory Coast later this month.

“To be brutally honest, I am very ambitious,” he remarked. “By the end of the year, my only aim is to reach a ranking between 250-300, which would be fantastic.” On achieving this goal, he noted, “Physically, I need to enhance my strength, speed, and agility. From a tennis standpoint, my game needs to become more substantial and consistent. My performance has had its ups and downs.”

He is also cognizant of the challenges he faces. “Many players participate in approximately 30 tournaments a year and manage to achieve their ranking objectives. I might play around 18 or 19. I wouldn’t label it as tough, but it is certainly more challenging than what many others experience. My success hinges on how well I perform in that smaller number of tournaments.”