by Simon Daish
The highest-ranked competitor in the Under 17 Girls’ Singles draw, Yashaswini Deepak Ghorpade survived a tense opening to her campaign as she held off a brave challenge from fellow compatriot Pritha Priya Vartikar (11-3, 8-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-7). From that moment on, Ghorpade didn’t drop another game!
Topping her group with victory over Pakistan’s Haiqa Hassan (11-5, 11-7, 11-4), Ghorpade proved just as ruthless against fellow Indian hopefuls Lakshita Narang (11-8, 11-4, 11-3) and Taneesha Sanjaykumar Kotecha (11-6, 11-7, 11-9) in the knock-out rounds. Through to the title decider, Ghorpade weathered an early storm to see off Uzbekistan’s Markhabo Magdieva 3-0 (12-10, 11-3, 11-4). The result comes a month from her first WTT Youth Series trophy, having won the Under 17 crown at WTT Youth Contender Tunis.
“I’m happy! The support of my parents, my coach and the effort they put in for me to reach here, as well as my effort over the past years and months, has helped me win this event,” said Yashaswini Deepak Ghorpade
Hansini Mathan Rajan also emerged with her second WTT Youth Series trophy, reserving the top spot in Muscat’s Under 13 Girls’ Singles event.
Cruising through the group hurdle, Mathan Rajan followed up with another brilliant display as she beat Uzbekistan’s Arujan Kamalova in three games (11-4, 11-7, 11-7). Mathan Rajan was then taken down to the wire by Syrian Olympic sensation Hend Zaza in a dramatic semi-final clash (12-10, 11-9, 1-11, 8-11, 11-8) before finishing her impressive run with victory over Iran’s Setayesh Iloukhani (11-4, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9). Like Ghorpade, Mathan Rajan struck her first title last month at WTT Youth Contender Tunis, and she credits the work put in behind the scenes for her recent uptick in form.
“I feel good because of God’s grace, and my hard work paid off. My practice and dedication to playing has also had an impact, and I made many improvements during the camp I participated in earlier,” said Hansini Mathan Rajan
Friday marks the fifth and final day at WTT Youth Contender Muscat 2021. The day’s programme commences from 1000 local time and is scheduled to run through to 1945, with titles up for grabs in the Under 11, Under 15 and Under 19 Girls’ Singles events.
For event details of WTT Youth Contender Muscat, click here.
