Guatemala City, June 7 (IANS) Thirteen-year-old Bengaluru tennis prodigy Srishti Kiran continued her remarkable rise on the international junior circuit, finishing runner-up at the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors J100 tournament.

Srishti’s impressive run came to an end in the final, where she went down fighting to top seed Ellery Mendell of the USA 4-6, 3-6. Battling cramps and physical discomfort during the latter stages of the match, the young Indian displayed tremendous grit against her higher-ranked opponent.

The final was closely contested in its early stages. Srishti raced to a 2-0 lead and later held a 3-1 advantage in the opening set before Mendell fought back to claim it 6-4. In the second set, the Indian was locked at 3-3 and held two game points that could have given her a crucial 4-3 lead. However, the nagging pain and cramps affected her movement, allowing the American to seize control and close out the match.

Despite the loss, the tournament marked another significant milestone for Srishti, who arrived in Guatemala on the back of an extraordinary run of five consecutive ITF junior titles.

The youngster’s journey to the final was highlighted by a series of impressive victories over seeded opponents. She began her campaign with a commanding 6-1, 6-0 win over host city’s Katia Maria Pemuellar in the opening round. In the pre-quarterfinals, she defeated seventh seed Sarah Stoyanov 6-1, 7-6 (1) before overcoming fourth seed Hanne Estrada Cortes of Mexico 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in a hard-fought quarterfinal clash.

Srishti then produced one of her best performances of the week in the semifinals, dismantling second seed Filipa Delgado of the USA 6-2, 6-1 to book her place in the title match.

“It has been a very special tournament for me. Reaching the final and competing against some very strong players has given me a lot of confidence. Of course, I am disappointed not to win the title, but there are many positives that I will take from this week,” said Srishti, who reached her career-best junior ranking of 461 last week and is expected to jump several ranks higher after her latest bridesmaid finish.

–IANS

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