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Teen star Rethin makes resounding impact with his racquet

Teen star Rethin makes resounding impact with his racquet

CHENNAI: ON a cloudy Saturday evening at the SDAT-Stadium in Nungambakkam, Rethin Pranav clad in fluorescent yellow gave his opponent the blues. He dominated in what may be his final national level junior tournament. After making appearances in the junior Grand Slams this year, he is all set to make his mark in the American College Tennis circuit as he is set to join Cornell University in New York, United States.
The 17-year-old began the year at the top-30 in the ITF junior rankings. Those three appearances in the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon helped his stocks rise as a junior tennis player. It came off after a title-winning performance at the Fenesta Open National Championship last October and a final appearance in a J300 tournament in South Korea. However, an injury to his left thumb in November 2024 halted that good run. He made it to the Australian Open in January 2025 but that injury kept irking him. Pranav played against World No 9 tennis player from Finland Oskari Paldanius. Despite winning the first set 7-5, he ended up losing to his opponent. "I was slicing on my backhand, he knew that and capitalised on it. I had an unlucky draw but the experience was good," he told this daily.
In the three Grand Slam appearances, the Dindigul boy relished the experience in the grass court at Wimbledon early this month. "Wimbledon has a separate vibe, from the other Grand Slams because of the prestige it carries," he said. In Round 1 of the maindraw in the men's doubles event, he and Japanese player Shion Itsusaki lost a tough game to eventual junior champions Paldanius and Polish Alan Wazny.
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