The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Sansitha crowned the under-12 queen

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Friday, Jun 01, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Sansitha crowned the under-12 queen

Rayan Rozario

Sansitha Nandakumar. - Photo: K. Ananthan

Coimbatore: When Sansitha Nandakumar arrived in Mumbai for the Ramesh Desai National Tennis Championship at the MSLTA courts recently she could not have predicted the amazing things that were about to unfold.

Trophy

Not only was she to lift the under-12 trophy but the 11-year-old from Coimbatore also clinched the No. 1 spot en route.

The class seven student of Vidhya Niketan, who was ranked third in the national list prior to the championship, drubbed Kanika Vaidya of Maharashtra 6-1, 6-1 for the crown.

Attention

Sansitha, who will be turning 12 on Saturday, caught the attention of Mumbai tennis lovers with her powerful top spinners at the Bombay Gymkhana the week before the national championship. She bulldozed her opponents with ease but lost a close under-14 semifinal battle to the ultimate champion Vaidehi Bhagawat of Maharashtra after being up 6-2, 5-2 (40-30). It was sheer lapse in concentration that cost her dearly.

The defeat shattered her morale but the Mumbai crowd had still predicted that she would lift the under-12 title. She did not disappoint.

Coached by Sivakumar and Balakrishnan, Sansitha has also won three under-14 doubles titles the last two months with Natasha Palha of Goa as her partner.

Ranking

Currently ranked 18 in the under-14 list, Sansitha wants to improve her ranking further and represent her country in the Junior Federation Cup. Is she fit enough? "She is working hard on that and also enjoying her game at the moment. If she continues to do that the rest should come easy," says Nandakumar, the young champion's father.

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