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Mary Pierce: India has potential to be tennis powerhouse

'I know from personal experience the crucial role junior tennis plays in improving the game of budding players and laying a solid foundation for their careers,' said Mary Pierce in Delhi during the Roland-Garros Junior Wild Card Series

Mary Pierce India has potential to be tennis powerhouse
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New Dehli, First Published Feb 25, 2020, 5:01 PM IST

New Delhi: Four-time Grand Slam Champion Mary Pierce was impressed by the plucky display of the 16 junior players battling it out at the Roland-Garros Junior Wild Card Series at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA).

The second day of the tennis tournament witnessed some nail-biting games as the players fought hard to reach the finals and grab the coveted spots at the Junior Roland-Garros Qualifiers in Paris.

Also read: Dev, Reshma enter semis of Roland-Garros event

Top-seed Dev V Javia registered yet another clinical win as he defeated Nitin Singh 6-2, 6-1, to set up a final showdown with Chirag Duhan. Third seed Duhan also cruised to the final after winning 6-1, 6-0 against Mohit Bondree.

In the girls’ semi-finals, the unseeded players put on spirited performances to knock out the two top seeds. Vaishnavi Adkar played out of her skin to make a memorable comeback and defeat second seed Akanksha Nitture 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, while Sanjana Sirimalla defeated top seed Reshma Maruri in straight sets 6-4, 7-5. 

The final will take place tomorrow (February 26) and the two winners will then travel to Paris to play against their counterparts from Mexico, Brazil and China, in a bid to qualify for the main draw of the Junior Roland-Garros Championships.

The tournament’s brand ambassador Mary Pierce was on the sidelines watching the day’s events unfold. “I am delighted to be back in India, watching the junior stars of Indian tennis in action”, said Pierce.

“I know from personal experience the crucial role junior tennis plays in improving the game of budding players and laying a solid foundation for their careers. I am quite impressed by the standard of the game I have seen so far. This reaffirms my belief that India has real potential to be a tennis powerhouse in the future.”

The Roland-Garros Junior Wild Card Series is jointly organised by the All India Tennis Association (AITA) and the French Tennis Federation (FFT), organisers of French Open, the world’s premier clay court tournament.

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