Yuki Bhambri impresses at DSCL Open Nationals

Yuki Bhambri, all of 15, is creating waves at the DSCL Open National Tennis Championship at New Delhi. The prodigy, considered by many to be India's next tennis great, upset fourth seed Vivek Shokeen in the men's singles quarterfinals.

Shokeen, ranked 757 on the ATP list, could find no answer to the youngster's wily play. Bhambri had also accounted for sixth seed Tushar Liberhan the previous day.

In other matches, Navdeep Singh upset top seed Aditya Madkekar in straight sets but the result was not unexpected considering Singh's form. Navdeep reached the main draw of the Kingfisher Airlines Open at Mumbai in September, shot up 86 places on the ATP list and is now ranked 731.

Meanwhile, 17-year-old Prajnesh Gunneswaran survives in both the men's and boy's singles.

There were no surprises in store in the women's singles with the top four seeds progressing safely to the semifinals and number four Sonal Phadke finally accounting for lucky loser Rashmi Teltumbde.

DSCL OPEN NATIONALS - QUARTERFINALS

MEN

(8) Navdeep Singh beat (1) Aditya Madkekar 6-4,6-0
Prajnesh Gunneswaran beat (7) Vinod Sridhar 7-5,6-1
Yuki Bhambri beat (4) Vivek Shokeen 7-5,6-3
(2) Ashutosh Singh w/o (5) Vijay Kannan 5-3 retired

WOMEN

(1) Isha Lakhani beat Aishvarya Srivastava 6-4,6-3
(2) Rushmi Chakravarthi beat (8) Parul Goswami 6-0,7-5
(3) Sanaa Bhambri beat (6) Asha Nandakumar 6-0,6-2
(4) Sonal Phadke beat (LL) Rashmi Teltumbde 5-7,6-3,6-2

UNDER 18 BOYS

(1) Vijayant Malik beat Shantanu Rajput 6-0,6-1
(6) Ronak Manuja beat (4) Sitaram Sudanwa 4-6,6-1,6-4
(3) Abhijeet Tiwari beat (7) Christopher Marquis 6-3,7-6(2)
(2) Prajnesh Gunneswaran w/o (5) B Vikram Reddy 6-0,3-0 retired

UNDER 18 GIRLS

(6) Aishvarya Srivastava beat (1) Kyra Shroff 6-7(6),6-1,7-5
(9) Kelsey Sundaram beat Sharmada Balu 6-2,6-3
Rashmi Teltumbde beat (4) Vishaka Sheoran 7-5,6-2
(8) Tanvi Shah beat (2) Sweta Solanki 6-4,7-5