Book their boarding passes to Paris
Harpal Singh Bedi / New Delhi
Top-seed Mann Maulik Shah and 4th-seed Shaikh Humera over powered their spirited rivals to win the boys and girls titles respectively of the India-edition of the Roland-Garros Junior Wild-Card Series at the clay courts of the R. K .Khanna Tennis Stadium here on Wednesday.
In the finals, Mann Maulik Shah (Gujarat) defeated 4th-seed Madhwin Kamath in straight sets 7-6(1), 6-2; while 4th-seed Shaikh Humera came out on top in the Girls category overcoming unseeded Sarah Dev 7-5, 6-3 .
In the process they booked their tickets for the International Finals of the Roland-Garros Junior Wild Card Series to be held in Paris where they will compete with winners from China and Brazil, and the eventual winners will get the chance to be a part of the Roland-Garros 2019 Junior Draw.
The final was witnessed among others Roland-Garros Brand Ambassador Justine Henin, along with Lucas Dubourg, Head of International Development, French Tennis Federation (FFT) and Suman Kapur, Joint Secretary of All India Tennis Association (AITA).
For the third place match 3rd-seed Kabir Hans got a walk over from 2nd-seed Dev V Javia.
Shah had to fight it out in the first set which he won 7-6(1). In the second, Shah rushed to a comprehensive lead, and did well wrap up the set 6-2 and the match.
In the Girls’ final, 4th-seed Shaikh Humera continued her fine form beating Punjab’s Sarah Dev in straight sets 7-5, 6-3. .
The first set saw fierce competition between the two as they played some long rallies, but the former bagged it 7-5. However, Humera completely dominated in the second set to take it 6-3, and win the match in straight sets.
The match for the 3rd place saw 2nd-seed Bhakti Shah get a walk-over from top-seed Salsa Aher to finish her campaign on a high.
Justine Henin, congratulated the winners on their victory. The four-time winner of the Roland-Garros also spoke on her experience of visiting India, “I am really happy that I was given the opportunity to be the Brand Ambassador of Roland-Garros. I have had the opportunity to win the tournament four times, and clay is something which is very close to my heart so I have enjoyed representing the tournament and sharing my knowledge. It is a unique chance for these young kids to live and experience a dream, and this tournament will help them in making it big at the international level, including the Roland-Garros 2019 Junior Draw. I am really happy to be a part of it, and really happy to come to India. Having played tennis with these kids, and spent time with them, it has been a privilege for me, and I would like to wish them the best in their future endeavours.”
Head of International Development, FFT, . Lucas Dubourg said, “I would like to thank the AITA for their continued support to the Roland-Garros Junior Wild Card Series. It has been a pleasure to work with them for a fifth year running since 2015. I would also like to thank Justine for coming down to India, to share her experience and knowledge with these young players. My advice to this talented bunch of players is that they have to believe in their dreams, and should believe in themselves to lift the actual Roland-Garros trophy in the future. I would like to wish them all the very best.”