India's singles challenge at the junior Australian Open ended in a matter of hours with Maaya Rajeshwaran Ravathi and Arnav Paparkar losing their respective opening round matches, in Melbourne, on Sunday.
Maaya, competing in the girls' singles, struggled to find her rhythm against Anna Pushkareva and went down 4-6, 1-6 in a match that lasted just over an hour.
After a closely fought first set, the Indian lost momentum in the second as Pushkareva stepped up the aggression and raced through the set.
Paparkar loses in straight sets
In the boys' singles, Paparkar too made an early exit, losing 3-6, 4-6 to American Vihan Reddy.
Pararkar fought hard in both sets but was unable to convert key opportunities, with Reddy proving steadier in the crucial moments to seal the straight-sets win.
Paparkar has been named as a practice partner for India's Davis Cup squad for their upcoming 2026 Qualifiers tie against the Netherlands.
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