New Delhi, Oct 29 (IANS) The Indian leg of the second edition of Rendez-Vous à Roland-Garros which will give young talent in the country a chance to feature in the French Open Junior will be held at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA) courts here from February 8-12 next year.
Organised by the French Tennis Federation (FFT) in association with the All India Tennis Association (AITA) , the tournament will feature the best U-18 Indian players in both boys’ and girls’ categories. The winners of the Indian leg will go on to face competitors from Brazil, South Korea and China in the playoffs in Paris and the eventual champions will get a wild card entry to the French Open Junior.
In the boys’ category, Vasisht Vinod Cheruku, Aryan Goveas, B.R. Nikshep and last year’s runner-up Alex Solanki are expected to be the top contenders.
The girls’ competition is expected to be evenly poised with Zeel Desai, defending champion Sathwika Sama along with last year’s finalist Jennifer Luikham headlining the event.
Talking about her experience in playing at the Rendez-Vous à Roland-Garros, Sathwika said, “The tournament is a great platform for junior players to earn a wildcard entry to the world’s most famous clay court tournament. I represented India the last time in Paris but missed out by a narrow margin to make the cut. But I am coming back this year with a renewed will to succeed and hopefully get into the main draw.”
The tournament will be played on the clay court which is currently under construction at the DLTA. The court, which is scheduled to be inaugurated in December, will be the first of its kind in India.
The 2016 edition of the Rendez-Vous à Roland-Garros will be the first competition to be played on it. This will be a big advantage for the participating players, as it would condition them better for the finale in Paris.
