Boys' U-14 top seed Aarav Challani was eliminated from the 31st Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship at the DLTA Complex in New Delhi on Thursday, 15 October, falling to Satya Chintagunta 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the quarterfinals. The upset marks one of the tournament's biggest results so far, as the unseeded Chintagunta rallied from a first-set deficit to advance to the last four.

Chintagunta's Comeback Win

After surrendering the opening set, Chintagunta dug deep across a gruelling three-hour contest to overturn the deficit. 'First, it was a very exhausting match. We played for three hours. I am very happy to play with him. It was a good experience,' he said after the win.

Reflecting on the momentum shift, Chintagunta added, 'In the second set, I was fully exhausted. I didn't know what to do. He started giving nice high balls. I found it very difficult. In the third set, I fought myself. I tried my best.' Asked about the pressure of facing the top seed, he was unequivocal: 'I decided that I am going to win. Last time I played, I won. This time, I was sure that I am going to win.'

Saroha Eyes Historic Double at Fenesta Open

Chandigarh's Ribhav Saroha, the boys' U-16 top seed, continued his remarkable run, beating P. Nallagundla 6-2, 6-2 in a rain-interrupted quarterfinal to advance to the semifinals. Having already clinched the boys' U-18 singles title the previous week, Saroha is now just two wins away from completing a rare double at the tournament.

A lengthy rain delay — estimated at four to five hours — threatened to disrupt his rhythm, but Saroha handled it with composure. 'I slept during that break, and I was able to regain the focus and energy. Then I was doing deep breathing exercises before the match so that I could just get back straight into the rhythm,' he said. 'My strategy was to be more patient on the court and make him move and not make mistakes before him. And whenever I have a chance, to just commit fully and come in on the volley.'

In the other boys' U-16 semifinal, No. 8 seed Vivaan Mirdha will face Yashwin Dahiya, both having posted straight-sets victories in the quarterfinals.

Girls' Draws Throw Up Upsets and Strong Seeds

In the girls' U-14 draw, second seed Siddhi Pandey advanced comfortably with a 6-4, 6-1 win over No. 6 seed Saatvi Mardaniya. Pandey acknowledged nerves going in, noting her opponent 'recently won an ITF title,' but said she was 'able to use my brain more' to close out the match. No. 10 seed Aaradhana Tehlan also reached the semifinals, rallying from a first-set bagel to beat No. 8 seed Purvi Patwa 1-6, 6-3, 6-0.

In the girls' U-16 quarterfinals, the standout performance came from No. 14 seed Khushi Kadian, who survived a marathon three-setter against Aahida Singh, winning 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-2) to reach the semifinals. Kadian was also due to play her girls' U-14 quarterfinal later the same evening — a demanding double-header. She was joined in the girls' U-16 last four by third seed Aaradhya Meena, fifth seed Akshita Antil, and seventh seed Ranjhana Sangram.

Boys' U-14 Semifinal Picture Takes Shape

Alongside Chintagunta, second seed Puneeth Manohar dominated eighth seed Adeshbir Ghuman 6-3, 6-1, while No. 9 seed Sujai Pothula knocked out third seed Nibras Hussain 6-3, 6-4. 'I'm pretty pumped about it; I'm happy with the way I was able to play. It was a dominant win for me,' Manohar said. The fourth semifinal spot in the boys' U-14 draw was yet to be determined, pending the contest between fourth seed Sparsh Patil and No. 10 seed Taanish Nanda.

Full Quarterfinal Results, 15 October

Boys' U-16 Singles: Ribhav Saroha [1] def. P. Nallagundla 6-2, 6-2; Yashwin Dahiya def. Yaj Malik [6] 6-3, 6-1; Vivaan Mirdha [8] def. Harsh Marwaha 6-4, 6-4; Kushagra Arora def. Monodip Dey [12] 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.

Girls' U-16 Singles: Aaradhya Meena [3] def. Shravee Deore 3-6, 6-4, 6-3; Akshita Antil [5] def. Pooja Nagaraj 6-4, 1-0 (retd.); Ranjhana Sangram [7] def. Rishita Yadav 7-5, 6-3; Khushi Kadian [14] def. Aahida Singh 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-2).

Boys' U-14 Singles: S. Chintagunta def. Aarav Challani [1] 4-6, 6-4, 6-1; Puneeth Manohar [2] def. Adeshbir Ghuman [8] 6-3, 6-1; Sujai Pothula [9] def. Nibras Hussain [3] 6-3, 6-4; Sparsh Patil [4] vs. Taanish Nanda [10] — result pending.

Girls' U-14 Singles: Siddhi Pandey [2] def. Saatvi Mardaniya [6] 6-4, 6-1; Aaradhana Tehlan [10] def. Purvi Patwa [8] 1-6, 6-3, 6-0; Zoha Qureshi [3] vs. Khushi Kadian [5] — result pending.

With the semifinals approaching, all eyes will be on whether Saroha can complete the double and whether any further upsets await in the junior draws.