Nikshep, Abinkka get pride of place for junior nationals

Mumbai: Karnataka`s B R Nikshep and Tamil Nadu`s Abinkka R have been given pride of place among the Under-16 boys and girls respectively in the Babolat 8th Ramesh Desai junior and sub-junior national tennis championship commencing on May 26.

In the Under-12 age group, Orissa`s Mahesh Mohapatra is the top seed among the boys, with the honour among the girls going to Punjab`s Sarah Dev in the tournament to be played at the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association here. The boys competition in both age groups would see a main draw of 64 players, while the girls category consists of a main draw of 48 players. Fifty-six players would gain direct entry into the boys main draw, with eight coming through the qualifying rounds, while for the girls 40 players would get direct entry, with eight coming through the qualifying rounds. The qualifying rounds started today and would continue tomorrow. Hosts Maharashtra would pose a strong challenge in the girls under-16 through Snehal Mane and Mihika Yadav, seeded second and third respectively, while in the under-16 boys, Rian Pandole, seeded 13th, is the top player in the main draw from the state.