Top seed Tejas Ravi battled past compatriot Amrit Dhankar in a gripping three-set contest to advance to the quarterfinals of the KSLTA World Tennis Tour Junior J30 at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday, 2 September. The girls' draw, however, produced the tournament's biggest shock as both top seeds were eliminated in the Round of 16.

Tejas Survives a Three-Set Battle

The 17-year-old Tejas, who trains at Transform Academy and studies at Jain Sports School, got off to a flying start — breaking Amrit in the opening game and extending his lead to 5-1 before closing out the first set 6-3. The second set swung dramatically: Tejas fought back from 0-3 down to lead 5-3, only for Amrit to reel off four consecutive games and level the match at one set apiece, winning it 7-5.

The decisive third set turned on a pivotal moment at 1-1, when Amrit twisted his ankle and was visibly restricted in movement. Tejas capitalised immediately, stepping up his aggression to win the next five games and seal the match 6-1. The victory carried extra weight: the two had previously met at a school tournament in Pollachi, where Amrit had won. Tejas reversed that result on the international junior stage when it mattered most.

Girls' Draw Rocked by Double Upset

Zoha Qureshi produced the day's biggest shock, dispatching top seed Shaivi Gaurav Dalal 6-3, 6-3 in a commanding display. Second seed Karthika Padmakumar also exited, retiring from her match against Akshita Antil while trailing 4-6, 2-3, leaving the girls' half of the draw wide open heading into the quarterfinals.

Seeds Who Advanced in the Girls' Draw

Not all seeds faltered. Fourth seed Shreeniti Chowdhury, the local favourite, recovered from dropping the opening set to defeat Anjhalle Meka 4-6, 6-1, 6-3, drawing loud support from the home crowd. Third seed Disha Kumar was in dominant form, brushing aside Tanusshri Maneni Sathesh 6-1, 6-2, while fifth seed Aahida Singh continued her impressive run with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Deepthi Venkatesan.

Boys' Draw Results — Round of 16

Second seed Ahan Shetty cruised past Aarush Kote (USA) 6-0, 6-3, while fourth seed Vivaan Mirdha beat Neel Kelkar 6-2, 6-4. There were upsets in the lower half too: unseeded Shlok Chauhan eliminated seventh seed Ayan Shetty 6-2, 6-1, and Varad Undre knocked out eighth seed Nithinbarath KS after Nithinbarath retired at 6-3, 0-3. Sixth seed Fazal Ali Meer and third seed Niyanth Badrinarayanan (USA) also progressed. In doubles, the pairing of Malay Keyurbhai Minjrola and Lawani (CHN) caused a surprise by beating the third-seeded doubles pair of Amrit Dhankar and Tejas Ravi 6-4, 1-6, 10-8.

What to Watch in the Quarterfinals

With both top girls' seeds eliminated, the women's quarterfinal draw is now wide open, presenting an opportunity for unseeded players like Zoha Qureshi to make a deep run. On the boys' side, the top-two seeds — Tejas and Ahan Shetty — remain on course for a potential semifinal clash. The quarterfinals are expected to deliver high-quality junior tennis at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium.