New Delhi, Sep 30 (IANS) Divya Bhardwaj of Gujarat and Maharashtra’s Akanksha Nitture moved to the second round of the ongoing 30th Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship in the women’s singles category at the DLTA Complex here on Tuesday.

Divya, who entered the main draw after coming through the qualifying round, continued her winning run by defeating third seed Pooja Ingale of Maharashtra 6-3, 6-4 on a rain-affected day. The match began on an enthralling note, with the scores tied at 3-3 midway through the set before Divya reeled off three consecutive games to seize control.

The second set mirrored the first, with the scores level at 3-3 midway before Divya broke Pooja’s serve to take a 5-3 lead. The third seed then held a game with a sublime display around the net, but could not stop Divya from clinching her sixth game and advancing to the next round of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Akanksha dominated her first-round women’s singles match from the very first game, blanking Telangana’s Paavanii Paathak 6-0, 6-0 in straight sets with sublime baseline play.

The second seed used her speed along the baseline and broke Paavanii’s serve at will to secure a commanding victory.

Besides the prestigious titles, the winners will be awarded with prize money with a total prize pool of over Rs 21.55 Lakh and Kit Allowance in the junior categories up for grabs. The winners and runners-up in the U16 and U14 singles events will also receive a Tennis scholarship of ₹25,000 each.

Supported by DCM Shriram Ltd., and held under the aegis of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) and the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA), the Fenesta Open is India’s largest domestic tennis championship, drawing top contenders from across the country.

The Boys and Girls Under-16 & Under-14 category qualifying and main draw matches will be played from October 5 to October 11.

–IANS

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