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The 16th Ramesh Desai Memorial Junior Tennis National Championship for boys and girls will be held at the GA Ranade Tennis Complex between February 19-26.
Over 250 boys and girls from all over the country will be seen in action in the Under-12 tournament.
The week-long tournament will be hosted by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) in Mumbai.
MSLTA President Bharat Oza and Secretary Sunder Iyer said a total scholarship of ₹3 lakh will be awarded as scholarships to players from the first round. Apart from scholarships, attractive prizes and gifts from Tennishub and Enerzal will be given to players.
The annual tournament is being organized to commemorate the memory of former secretary general of AITA and former MSLTA secretary Ramesh Desai.
The tournament serves as an ideal memorial for Ramesh Desai and his value in promoting tennis at a junior level, said Bharat Oza.
While the Under-12 boys’ main draw will be of 64 players, the Under-12 girls main draw will be of 48 players, said Iyer.
The qualifying rounds will be held on February 19 and 20 while the main draws will start from February 21.
The tournament is being held by observing strict COVID-19 protocols issued by the National, State and District administrations and also under the SOP of the Sports Authority of India, Iyer added.
Manoj Vaidya, CEO of MSLTA, will be the tournament director, while Vaishali Shekatkar, ITF White Batch Referee, will be the supervisor of the event.
About Ramesh Dinubhai Desai
Rameshbhai, as he is popularly known in tennis circles across the country, was elected as the secretary of the Bombay State Lawn Tennis Association in 1958.
In his illustrious career in tennis spread over 48 years, he held several important posts. He was secretary of tennis for CCI and Mumbai from 1958-1960. He conducted international tennis matches with world famous Jack Kramer professionals in 1959 and 1960 in CCI.
He was also a member of the AITA executive committee for many years. He was instrumental in organizing and conducting a number of tennis tournaments in Maharashtra, including Davis Cup ties in Mumbai and Pune. He was also a very good player and participated in many tournaments in Tennis and Badminton.
In recognition of his service to the Game of Tennis, the Govt. of Maharashtra awarded him with the 1995-96 Dadoji Kondeo Award.
As secretary, Desai also helped MSLTA in promoting the game of tennis by constructing the Club House and Sports Guest House alongside other modern facilities like the International Standard Gymnasium and a well-equipped library.
During his tenure as secretary general of AITA and secretary of MSLTA, the game flourished in all departments. He was a man of principles and firm convictions.
