Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh – The second edition of the RL Verma Memorial Madhya Pradesh State Ranking Tennis Tournament concluded on Friday in Gwalior with exciting finals across multiple age categories, as young talents Divina Dhoopad, Aanya Rathi and Saurish Gupta emerged as champions in their respective divisions.
Organized by the Chambal Tennis Association in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Department of Sports and Youth Welfare, the tournament featured intense competition, particularly in the finals where several matches went the distance. In the boys’ under-12 category, Saurish Gupta clinched the title after a gripping three-set victory over Manveer Singh Hora, winning 6-4, 4-6, 11-9.
In the girls’ under-12 draw, Divina Dhoopad dominated her opponent Dhriti Sharma, securing a straight-sets win with scores of 6-0, 6-3 to claim the championship. Meanwhile, Aanya Rathi continued her strong form in the girls’ under-14 category, defeating Dhriti Sharma once again, this time by a margin of 7-5, 7-3 to lift the trophy.
One of the most notable upsets of the tournament came in the boys’ under-14 semifinals, where unseeded Shivansh Pandey toppled top seed Geetansh Makhania with a commanding 6-2, 6-2 victory to reach the final. In the other semifinal, Reyansh Dwani recorded a convincing 6-3, 6-0 win to set up a final clash with Shivansh.
The tournament also saw competitive action in the men’s singles semifinals. Ritesh Verma advanced to the final after defeating Virat Singh Thakur 7-6, 6-2, even as Jaydev Sharma overwhelmed Virat Singh Parihar in both encounters, winning 6-3, 6-3 and later 6-1, 6-2. Arnav Dixit also posted a win in the men’s draw, though details of his opponent were not fully specified in available reports.
The RL Verma Memorial tournament, now in its second year, has quickly develop into a key fixture in the state’s junior tennis calendar, providing a platform for emerging players from clubs such as Gwalior Chambal Club, Indore Residency Club, Jiwaji Club, and Tatya Tope Stadium in Bhopal to gain valuable match experience.
With the conclusion of this ranking event, attention now turns to the upcoming inter-school tennis championship scheduled to begin on August 15 at the City Centre-based Tennis Sports Complex in Gwalior. Organized by the Gwalior Tennis Association, the championship will feature team events and open singles categories for players in the under-14, under-17, and under-19 age groups, marking the third consecutive year the association has hosted the tournament.
The strong performances by Divina, Aanya, and Saurish highlight the growing depth of talent in Madhya Pradesh’s junior tennis circuit, setting the stage for further development as these athletes prepare for upcoming state and national-level competitions.
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