Tennis: Vaidehee Chaudhari, Manish Sureshkumar lead strong field at Fenesta Open

New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) India No. 3 and two-time champion Vaidehee Chaudhari and defending men’s champion Manish Sureshkumar will lead a field featuring eight players ranked in the AITA national top 15 at the 31st Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship, to be held at the DLTA Complex in New Delhi from October 5 to 17.

Chaudhari will chase her third women’s singles crown after winning in 2022 and 2024, while Sureshkumar returns to defend his 2025 title. Shruti Ahlawat adds to the women’s challenge, having won her maiden ITF $15,000 title at the same venue in May, defeating Poland’s Zuzanna Kolonus in the final.

The Fenesta Open has provided a national platform for grassroots tennis in India for over three decades, allowing emerging players to compete alongside established talent. Now in its 31st edition, the championship continues that legacy through its men’s, women’s, boys’ and girls’ competitions.

Speaking ahead of the championship, Ajay S Shriram, Chairman & Senior Managing Director, and Vikram Shriram, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, DCM Shriram Ltd. said, “For over three decades, the Fenesta Open has supported Indian tennis at the grassroots, providing a strong competitive platform that challenges players and tests their abilities against talent from across the country. As we enter the 31st edition, our focus remains on raising the standard of competition and giving emerging players the experience they need to progress to higher levels of the sport.”

The men’s field includes four national top-15 players: Sureshkumar (IR 8), No. 10 Nitin Kumar Sinha (IR 10), Aditya Balsekar (IR 11) and Udit Kamboj (IR 13). The women’s field features four national top-10 players, with Ahlawat ranked seventh, Sonal Paygonda Patil (IR 9) and Akanksha Nitture (IR 10) joining Chaudhari as per the last updated ranking list of July 27, 2026.

The junior field includes Delhi’s Praneel Sharma, Karnataka’s Prakaash Sarran, Gujarat’s Om Patel and Haryana’s Harsh Malik in the boys’ competition. Tamil Nadu’s Savitha Bhubaneshwaran, Maharashtra’s Parthsarthi Mundhe and Swanika Roy, and Karnataka’s Shreeniti Chowdhury will feature in the girls’ competition.

A total of 324 matches are scheduled across the championship.

The Under-18 Boys’ and Girls’ events kick off the championship, with qualifying on October 3–4, main rounds beginning October 8 and finals on October 10. The Under-16 and Under-14 events follow, with qualifying on October 10–11 and main rounds starting October 12. Quarter-finals are scheduled for October 15, semifinals for October 16, and finals for October 17.

–IANS

bsk/