Batyutenko, Saito win junior tennis championship
Max Batyutenko of Kazakhstan and Sara Saito of Japan won the boys’ and girls’ titles in the Aryan Pumps ITF Asian junior tennis championship at the Deccan Gymkhana on Saturday.
Fifth seed Batyutenko outplayed Saheb Sodhi 6-2, 6-1 for the boys’ crown. The 300 points from the tournament would help the Kazakh get into the top-100 and gain entry into the Australian Open junior event. Saheb revealed that he could not bear with the pain on his right shoulder as he had been playing for four weeks on the trot.
Shruti Ahlawat got off to a solid start and won the first set, but Saito lost just one game in the next two for a 5-7, 6-1, 6-0 victory.
The results (finals): Boys: Max Batyutenko (Kaz) bt Saheb Sodhi 6-2, 6-1. Girls: Sara Saito (Jpn) bt Shruti Ahlawat 5-7, 6-1, 6-0.
