Asuntha Fleming swept the titles on offer with a grand treble-winning performance at the 2nd edition of Bandodkar Panjim Gymkhana Tennis Open 2025 held under the aegis of Goa State Tennis Association. Santosh Gorawar won the men’s singles event, while Mano Chhabra and Rajendra (Bulu) Godinho excelled in the men’s doubles category.
Asuntha Fleming displayed her superb technical skills and endurance as she won the women’s doubles crown partnering Aastha Dua on a hot Sunday morning before returning early evening to down Tithee Bhoomkar in the ladies singles final. On Saturday night, Asuntha and Nagesh Naik had teamed up to annex the mixed doubles crown, beating siblings Aishwarya and Siddharth Nunes 6-2, 6-1.
The concluding day of the 10-day long tournament started with Asuntha and Aastha Dua registering a commanding 6-2, 6-2 win over Raisa Menezes and Poojal Naik in women’s doubles final.
Fleming sealed her third title of the tournament with an easy 6-1, 6-2 victory over Tithee Bhoomkar in the ladies singles final.
In the men’s singles final, Santosh Gorawar cruised to a 6-0, 6-4 win against Prince Agnelo D’Silva.
In the tournament’s maiden Wheelchair Tennis Challenger event, Stany D’Souza and Melvin Mendes put in a rousing performance to defeat Vinod Kumbhar and Niklesh Pednekar 4-2 in a mini-set final.
The men’s doubles final witnessed stirring tennis from Mano and Bulu as they delivered a solid performance to defeat the energtic pair of defending champions Santosh Gorawar and Raju Kundaikar 6-4, 6-1.
Over in the final of the masters 45+ singles category, Dmitry Smirnov outplayed Caetano Fernandes 6-4, 6-1 to secure the title. The other winners of the tournament’s various categories were Kyan Mavany, who clinched the boys u-14 crown, while Tvisha Sardesai dominated both the girls u-14 and u-18 events, winning them both. Shreyas Patil emerged champion in the boys u-18, Devaansh Naik took home the boys u-10 title and Samaira Patil edged out the competition in the girls U-10 final. Among the masters winners, Manoj Pandey triumphed in the 55+ men’s singles event.
Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant graced the valedictory function and assured support to Goa State Tennis Association headed by Sameer Kakodkar, Director of DB Bandodkar & Sons, towards the endeavour of promoting the sport.
“While the Government of Goa can play a crucial role by providing basic infrastructure and equipment, the real responsibility of promoting and growing the sport lies with dedicated associations. That’s where the Bandodkar family stands out — they’re doing a tremendous job in building awareness, organising events and nurturing young talent. For tennis to thrive, we need more such initiatives that create consistent opportunities at the grassroots level,” said Dr Sawant.
