The 24-year-old Mangalore-based technology professional Maaz Khan advanced to the quarter-finals of the ongoing Gadre Gaspar Dias Open 2024, defeating Nagesh Naik (6-2) in the men’s singles category, while Bharath Paul Singh/Nidhi Sequeira beat Santosh/Astha (6-4) in the state-ranking tournament’s mixed doubles category.
Khan, a former 10th ranked Asian player in the junior circuit is also participating in the mixed doubles and men’s doubles categories in the tournament, which is being held on the tennis courts of Clube Tennis de Gaspar Dias and the Panjim Gymkhana.
In men’s singles category quarterfinals, Ashwin Narsinghani stamped out Sandesh Satardekar’s challenge (6-0), Rahul Singh beat Prathamesh (6-3) and Sreyas Prasad beat Rahul Sakpal (6-2). In other round matches in the same category, Sandesh Satardekar beat Pranab Mehrishi (7-5), Sreyas Prasad beat Mano Chhabra (6-3), Bharat Paul Singh beat Bulu (7-6)(2), Nagesh Naik beat Prajat (6-4), Aman Shetty beat Caetano Fernandes (6-0) and Aaryan vanquished Vishal (6-0).
Shantanu Joshi/Siddharth Nimbalkar beat Gareth Cardoso/Zyrell Fernandes (6-1), Sandeep Verlekar/Pramod Umarje beat Yeshwant Lingudkar/Rohish Baraskar (6-4) and Rahul Singh/ Badal beat Sandeep Verlekar/Pramod Umarje (6-2) in the men’s doubles event.
In the three matches in the ladies singles event, Trisha Vinod beat Ashwini (6-0), Manuela beat Anjali Philip (6-1) and Tanya Shelyazhynska-Caldeira beat Tvisha Sardesai (6-1).
The tournament also featured various matches in the under-12 boys category in which Avanish Pillankar, Ethan de Ataide, Alec Barreto, Christian Fernandes and Kyan Mavany defeated Aarav Kumar, Vihaan Krishnan, Kaivalya Devaraya, Arsh Sardesai and Timofei Polosin respectively, without losing a single game. In other matches in the same category, Shaurya Verlekar beat Adianta Devaraya (6-0), Kyan Mavany beat Devaansh Naik (6-1), Timofei Polosin beat Aymer (6-2), Ethan de Ataide beat Alec Barreto (6-2).
In the under-12 girls category, Ovi Praveen Umaji beat Renee de Menezes (6-0), Samaira Patil beat Pia Karaling (6-4), Bhaarya beat Neeraja Damle (6-1), Gargi Oak beat Aarna Ahuja (6-0), Ishta P beat Swara Gaikwad (6-4), Harsha Deshpade beat Samaira Patil (6–0), Ovi Praveen Umaji beat Ritisha (6-3), Tvisha Sardesai beat Priyadarshini (6-3), Harsha Deshpade beat Urvi Pai Panandiker (6-0) and Gargi Oak beat Ishta P (6-0).
