The third edition of the Bandodkar Panjim Gymkhana Tennis Open 2026 continued to witness competitive action, with several matches played across categories in the state capital.
In the men’s open singles category, Sreenath edged past Arup Angle 6-4 in a closely contested encounter. In other matches, Debayan Das recorded a dominant 6-0 win over Sagar Patki, while Kshitij Garg defeated Chiraag Sukerkar 6-3. Punit Fadte and Shrish Lohiya delivered commanding performances, blanking Allan Fernandes and Bhalchandra Gaitonde, respectively, 6-0.
Raoul Vas cruised past Vedang Verlekar 6-0, while Dnyaneshwar Surushe got the better of Sarvesh Bhobe 6-1. Neenad Desai, who received a bye, progressed to the next round.
In the men’s 45+ doubles category, Sachin Dukle and Kevin Pinto Rebelo registered a 6-0 win over Kapil Nair and Swapnil Budge to move into the Semi-finals. Anurag Agrawal and Jai Gill defeated Kedar Tari and Shubert Colaco 6-1, while Naveen Daivajna and Neville Menezes blanked Kedar Palekar and Vilan Sawant 6-0, with both pairs advancing to the Semi-final stage.
The Round of 16 matches in the Men’s 45+ Singles category delivered a series of commanding performances, with several players advancing in style. Dimitry Smirnov set the benchmark with a dominant 6-0 victory over Kapil Nair, while Kalyanaraman B followed up with a solid 6-2 win against Oscar. Noel Noronha also progressed comfortably, defeating Kedar Tari 6-1.
In another Round of 16 encounter Kishor Metry registered a convincing 6-1 win over Kedar Palekar, and Neville Menezes continued his strong run with a 6-2 victory against James Stewart. Sameer Kakodkar secured his place in the quarterfinals with a 6-3 win over Manoj Pandey, while Anurag A wrapped up proceedings with a clinical 6-0 triumph against Shubert Colaco.
The Men’s 60+ Singles category featured a set of one-sided encounters, with players delivering dominant performances to move ahead in the tournament. Akhil Pavithran secured a comfortable 6-1 win over Hanuman S Nayak, displaying control throughout the match. Ishan Bakhale was particularly impressive, cruising to a 6-0 victory against Ishwar Parab. Parag Prabhudesai also put in a strong showing, defeating Santosh Fondekar 6-1 with ease. The round was marked by experienced players asserting their superiority, as all three winners advanced with convincing margins.
The tournament was formally inaugurated earlier, marking the start of the third edition of the state-level ranking event. The competition is being held at the Panjim Gymkhana and Clube Tennis de Gaspar Dias courts, bringing together players from across Goa in multiple categories.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by Narahar Thakur, Vice President of Panjim Gymkhana, Sameer Kakodkar, President of the Goa State Tennis Association (GSTA), Sachin Dukle, Secretary of GSTA, Santosh Fondekar, Vice-President (North) GSTA, and Sanjay Shinde, member of GSTA, among other officials.
Speaking on the occasion, Sameer Kakodkar said the tournament continues to grow as a competitive platform for players across Goa. “The response this year has been encouraging, with players from different age groups participating. Events like this help strengthen the sport at the grassroots while offering players valuable match experience,” he said.
Kakodkar also thanked Director of Sports and Youth Affairs Arjun Gaude for supporting the association’s efforts to promote tennis, and expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for his continued support to the sport in the state.
“The matches so far have seen strong participation and competitive contests across categories. The response to this year’s edition has been encouraging, and we expect the level of competition to build further as the tournament progresses,” tournament director Sandeep Heble said.
The Bandodkar Panjim Gymkhana Tennis Open, which honours the legacy of Goa’s first Chief Minister Dayanand Bandodkar, continues over the coming days, with 247 players scheduled to compete across multiple categories.
