Tennis: Arjun Kadhe and Rashmika Bhamidipaty become national champions

Maharashtra's Arjun Kadhe and Telangana's Rashmika Bhamidipaty emerged the new national champions after winning their respective finals at the 2020 The Project Tennis Hard Court Championships, here on Sunday.

Kadhe, who trains in Pune and has the experience of competing at higher level, got the better of Tamil Nadu's Prithvi Sekhar 6-3 6-4 in the men's singles summit clash. Sekhar had knocked out the 2019 champion Niki Poonacha in the semifinals. Second seed Rashmika toppled Gujarat's Vaidehi Chaudhari 6-2 7-6(2) in the women's singles final. Both Kadhe and Rashimka lost just one set each on their way to the final.

"This (win) means a lot to me. I have played three finals before and this is my fourth final and I really wanted this (win). I wanted to be a national champion one day. This win has a different significance. It is a thing which I will carry with me forever," Kadhe said. The 2020 Championships could not be held due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Former Davis Cupper and current Billie Jean King Cup team captain Vishal Uppal hosted the championships at his academy, The Tennis Project, here. "It was an honour to host the National Championships given the fact we had only four weeks to prepare for it," Uppal told PTI.

"My team and I have worked tirelessly to make sure we have a great event and it's COVID free. We have come good on responsibility give to us by the AITA and the HTA," he added.