Tennis Europe Junior Tour
Bengaluru: Karnataka’s exceptional junior tennis wave is hitting new peaks across Europe, as the prodigies from the State — Padmapriya Ramesh Kumar of Mysuru and Srishti Kiran of Bengaluru — representing Asia, marched into the semifinals of their ongoing European tour events.
Complementing the girls’ sensational run, Bengaluru’s Puneeth Manohar has been a stand-out performer for the Asian Team. The trio is currently traveling the continent as selected members of the Grand Slam Player Development Programme (GSPDP) / ITF / ATF Europe U-14 development team.
Srishti Kiran, the world’s highest-ranked U-13 player, entered the last four with immense momentum after a spectacular grass-court debut. Having earned direct qualification for the 2026 Wimbledon 14 & Under Championships earlier this summer, Srishti delivered a phenomenal performance against the world’s best to finish at a highly creditable 6th place in London.
Carrying that elite form onto European clay, Srishti and her doubles partner Padmapriya Ramesh Kumar—the reigning AITA National Series U-16 double-champion—showcased flawless tactical aggression this week to dismantle top-tier European seeds and claim their spots in the final four.
This clay-court success serves as the ultimate warm-up for the girls, who will fly out next week to lead the Indian National team at the World Tennis 14&Under Junior Team Finals in Prostejov, Czechia, from Aug. 3 to 8, 2026.
In the ongoing tournament at Int. Deutsche Tennis meisterschaften Dueren, Germany, Padmapriya entered the semifinals with ease defeating Daria Strogalshchikova of Germany in straight sets 7-6, 6-3 in girls singles. In the earlier tournament held at France Padmapriya Ramesh Kumar lost in the semifinals 6-1,6-1 against the top seed Aiym Kanagatoav of Kazakhstan.
