KATHMANDU, JUNE 17
Abhishek Bastola and Abhilasha Bista won the singles titles of the first Rising Star Open Tennis Tournament here at the International Sports Complex courts today.
Bastola came from a set down to beat Pradeep Khadka 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 in the men's singles final, while Bista recorded a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Sunira Thapa to claim the women's singles trophy. Pranav Khanal and Aryan Giri, and Prakriti Shrestha and Aisha Dolker Lama finished third in men's and women's sections respectively. Top three players received Rs 100,000, Rs 50,000 and Rs 12,500 respectively. Santosh Khatri won the above-35 men's singles title. Khatri defeated former national champion Jitendra Pariyar 7-5, 6-4 in final. Kamal Bahadur Adhikari and Dawa Sonam Sherpa finished joint third. Top three players earned Rs 60,000, Rs 30,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively.
Earlier, Aki Juben Rawat and Aarav Samrat Hada won the men's doubles title, while Shankar Haisnan and Sunira Thapa (U-16), Boris Adhikari and Shivali Gurung (U-14), Ashav Samrat Hada and Salbhi Sherchan (U-12) and Aryash Raj Poudel and Sara Panta (U-9) won gold in agegroup competitions.
Mohammad Younus (above-45 veteran singles) and Thongwan Tuleshwor (above-55) also bagged titles in the tournament organised by Rising Star Tennis Academy under the auspices of Nepal Tennis Association. A total of 262 players took part in the biggest tournament in terms of cash prizes. The tournament carried a cash purse of Rs 1.485 million and featured 24 events.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa, Nepal Tennis Association President Jyoti Rana, General Secretary Manohar Das Mool, Rising Star Tennis Academy President Rabin Pradhan and CEO Simanta Gurung handed over the prizes to the winners.
A version of this article appears in the print on June 18, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
