Bengaluru, Aug 4 (IANS) Karnataka’s Srishti Kiran continued her impressive run at the 2026 World Tennis Under-14 Junior Team Finals, winning her second successive singles match, but India suffered another narrow 1-2 defeat, this time against Italy, in the Group 4 Round Robin stage in Prostejov, Czechia.
Representing India alongside fellow Karnataka player Padmapriya Ramesh Kumar, Srishti once again rose to the occasion after India fell behind in the opening singles. Padmapriya fought hard before going down 4-6, 4-6 to Giulia Luchetti, leaving India trailing 0-1.
Srishti responded in emphatic fashion, producing a commanding display to outclass Italy’s No.1 Junior Olivia Serena Conticello 6-0, 6-3 and draw India level at 1-1.
The tie was eventually decided in the doubles, where Srishti and Padmapriya battled gamely before losing 3-6, 4-6 to the Italian pairing of Giulia Luchetti and Olivia Serena Conticello.
Earlier, India had gone down by an identical 1-2 margin against Japan in their opening Round Robin tie.
Padmapriya lost the opening singles 1-6, 5-7 to Ayaka Iwasa before Srishti produced one of the standout performances of the tournament. Trailing 1-5 in the opening set against Shina Okuyama, the Bengaluru youngster scripted a remarkable comeback to take the set 7-5 before wrapping up the second set 6-3 to level the tie.
However, Japan sealed the contest by winning the deciding doubles, with Ayaka Iwasa and Shina Okuyama defeating the Indian pair 6-3, 6-1.
The Indian team, captained by Asha Sharma, qualified for the World Finals after securing a fourth-place finish at the Asia/Oceania Final Qualifying event held in Kuching, Malaysia, in April 2026. They play their last round-robin tie against Morocco on Wednesday.
Earlier, Srishti Kiran was among three players from Karnataka who were selected to represent India in the ITF Asia 14 & Under Development Championship 2026 Finals held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from March 29 to April 10, 2026.
The prestigious continental event brought together Asia’s leading Under-14 talents and is regarded as the highest level of competition on the regional junior circuit.
Srishti Kiran and Padmapriya Ramesh Kumar will compete in the girls’ category, while Puneeth Manohar has been named in the boys’ lineup alongside Punjab’s Taanish Nanda.
–IANS
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