A new hope in Indian tennis: Snehadevi P Reddy

Snehadevi had reached the singles U-14 final in the last tournament of ‘ITF Tour to Young Stars’ under ITF Development Programme in Europe, 2011

20th April, 2013 marked a significant moment for Indian tennis. Why? Because Somdev came up with a strong finish in ATP Sarasota Challenger and Ankita Raina won ITF Chennai? Not exactly. In Delhi, a 16 year old girl was quietly making headway in the main draw of Asian Junior Championships even as the rest of the country was glued to IPL. While the focus was mainly on India’s No 1 boy’s junior, Sumit Nagal (who ultimately clinched the doubles title) and 2011 girls’ singles champion Rutuja Bhosale, it was Snehadevi P Reddy who shocked everyone by demolishing seed after seed and clinching the Championships. What’s most surprising is the fact that Reddy was not even ranked in top 200 when the tournament started and was by far an underdog in most of her matches.

Things did not look very promising at first with only two Indian girls surviving Round 1 of singles. Even as Fed Cup player Rutuja Bhosale went down to the 3rd seed in Round 2, Reddy continued to keep the Indian flag flying with a 6-3, 6-3 win over 4th seed, Mami Adachi. This was just the trailer, though, as she would then thrash 2nd seed and top 50 ranked junior, Katherine Ip 6-3 6-2 in the semis. For those who don’t know, Katherine recently won ITF Kolkata beating India’s current No 1 (seniors) Rishika Sunkara in the final. Known for her strong legs and defensive skills, the 17 year old from Hong Kong is apparently the next big thing in Asian tennis. That Reddy could so easily dismiss her speaks volumes of her talent and ability. But to beat a top player and to win a Championship are 2 different things. Or is it?

In the final, an inspired Reddy rallied to beat the 5th seed Asiya Dair 3-6 7-5 6-4 and conclude what had been a fairy-tale journey. That she was reportedly suffering from a shoulder injury makes her win all the more admirable. It maybe noted that Reddy is supported by Tamil Nadu Tennis Association and has just completed a 2 month training stint in Spain. Now doing her duty for the nation in U-16 Fed Cup Asia-Oceania Group with another talented player, Pranjala Yadlapalli, Reddy can fill the void that has entrapped Indian women tennis for so long. As a recognition of her achievement, she now stands at 76 in the junior ranking, way above her compatriots. Will she be able to follow the footsteps of one Sania Mirza (also former Asian Junior Champion)? Only time will tell.

Asian Junior Tennis Championships:

Rd1 Snehadevi S Reddy (IND) d Ria Vaidya (SIN) 6-1 6-2

Rd2 Snehadevi S Reddy (IND) d Mami Adachi (JPN) [4] 6-3 6-3

QF Snehadevi S Reddy (IND) d Plobrung Plipuech (THA) 6-0 6-4

SF Snehadevi S Reddy (IND) d Katherine Ip (HKG) [2] 6-3 6-2

F Snehadevi S Reddy (IND) d Asiya Dair (KAZ) [5] 3-6 7-5 6-4