New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) Fourth seed Snigdha Kanta and seventh seed Mannan Agarwal delivered standout performances on Thursday to reach the semifinals of the Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship in their respective categories at the DLTA Complex in New Delhi.

In the girls U-16 singles quarterfinal, Snigdha held her nerve in crucial moments and defeated Diya Chaudhary in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 to move to the next round of the tournament. Snigdha was behind by 2-4 at the halfway stage after Diya broke her serve with a sublime forehand.

The Karnataka player came roaring back, winning four consecutive games to secure the first set. The second set was tightly contested, with both players trading break points twice to reach 4-4. However, Snigdha’s speed and aggression ultimately proved decisive as she claimed the next two games and sealed the match.

Mannan Agarwal had a smooth sailing in the boys U-16 quarters as he beat Yashwin Dahiya in straight sets 6-1, 6-3 to reach the next round. Yashwin won the first game in the opening set, but the seventh seed soon came into his groove and broke his opponent’s serve thrice to win the first set. Mannan broke Yashwin’s serve thrice in the second set as well to clinch the match.

Eighth seed Tavish Pahwa continued his winning run to reach the semis of the boys U-16 singles category after beating Shaurya Bhardwaj 3-6, 7-6, 6-3 in a three-set contest.

Meanwhile, top seed Padma Rameshkumar beat Krishika Gautam 6-4, 6-1 in straight sets to reach the last four of the girls U-14 singles category, and fifth seed Aarav Mulay defeated Kabir Parmar 6-3, 6-1 to move into the semifinals of the Boys U-14 Singles category.

Besides the prestigious titles, the winners will be awarded a kit allowance in the junior categories. The winners and runners-up in the U-16 and U-14 singles events will also receive a tennis scholarship of Rs 25,000 each.

–IANS

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