Subhash, 14, had 2 successful tournaments in Brazil this month.
By Sujeet Rajan
NEW YORK: Indian American tennis sensation Natasha Subhash, who shot into international limelight with her terrific performance at the 2015 US Open, continues to make steady headway in the junior girls’ circuit.
After a successful run in two tournaments in South America this month, the 14-year-old Subhash has now jumped to 61st combined ranking in the world (for singles and doubles), in junior girls, with a likely shot at the qualifying rounds of the upcoming French Open and Wimbledon.
Subhash, who went to South America as part of a US team, had a great run in both the tournaments she played: Grade 1 Banana Bowl in Sao Paolo, and the Grade A Campeonato Internacional Juvenil de Tenis de Porto Alegre, in Brazil.
Subhash, who was unseeded in both the tournaments, reached the girls’ singles quarter-finals and the girls’ doubles semi-finals at the Banana Bowl, and the girls’ singles semi-finals and the girls doubles final in the Porto Alegre tournament. Caty McNally partnered Subhash in the girls’ doubles in both the tournaments, played on red clay courts.
Subhash had a string of upsets to her name in the two tournaments, including 15th seed Thaisa Grana Pedretti of Brazil, whom she beat in straight sets in the Porto Alegre tournament, to barge into the last eight. She then disposed 9th seed Lara Escauriza of Paraguay in the quarterfinals. The Paraguayan was her nemesis from the Sau Paolo tournament in the same stage, losing to her in three hard-fought sets.
“I really felt the heat, but managed to play a good match and feel very happy to move forward in the tournament,” Subhash said, after she beat Pedretti.
The talented Subhash lost the semi-finals in three-hard fought sets to the defending champion and eventual champion this year too, top seed Usue Maitane Arconada, an American born in Argentina, in three grueling sets, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
The 17-year-old Arconada became the first girl in more than a decade to successfully defend a Porto Alegre title, following in the footsteps of Russian Alisa Kleybanova who won back-to-back trophies in 2003 and 2004.
The girls’ doubles trophy went to second seeds Panna Udvardy of Hungary and Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine, who defeated McNally and Subhash in three sets, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 13-11.
Subhash, who is restricted because of her age to playing only a limited number of tournaments as stipulated by the International Tennis Federation, will take part in one more tournament before the next two slams – the Easter Bowl in Indian Wells, California, from April 4th. Most of the top seeded girls will compete in that championship. The top 53 seeds will get into the main draw of the junior girls in the French Open, which commences from May 22. Wimbledon will begin last week of June.
Subhash has had a phenomenal run on the international circuit since she became the youngest Indian American tennis player to play a Grand Slam, after the USTA (United States Tennis Association) awarded her a wild card for the 2015 US Open, recognizing her prodigious talent and tenacity on the court, especially against older and higher ranked players.
When she got that wild card, Subhash was still 13 years old, but turned 14 just as the tournament began, on September 2. She didn’t disappoint the USTA or her fans. She won three singles matches in four days, before she lost in the 2nd round, playing with one of her knees strapped heavily after an injury in the second round qualifying match.
In November of 2015, Subhash won a rare double: the girls’ singles and doubles titles at the 2015 Atlanta ITF tournament, played on hard courts at the Life Time Athletic at Peachtree Corners. Subhash became the first player of Indian-origin to achieve the rare double in an international tennis tournament.
Read that story here: http://www.americanbazaaronline.com/2015/11/01/indian-american-teen-natasha-subhash-creates-history-wins-singles-and-doubles-titles-at-2015-itf-atlanta-tournament/
In the Atlanta tournament, Subhash beat Layne Sleeth of Canada in straights 6-3, 6-1, in the final. Subhash had beaten the number seeded player in the tournament, Morgan Coppoc of the US, in straight sets 6-4, 6-3, in the semi-finals. Subhash dropped only one set in the entire tournament on her way to the singles and doubles championship. Anna Li of the US partnered her in the doubles then.
Subhash, who is now home schooled, trains at 4 Star Tennis Academy, under coach Bear Schofield. She is currently the number 1 ranked player in the US, in Girls under-16 category.
Natasha is the daughter of Subhash Kongassery and Sulekha Subhash, who emigrated to the United States in 1997, from Delhi. The couple, who are from Kerala, grew up in Delhi. Sulekha is a teacher, while Subhash Kongassery is an IT professional in the Washington, DC area.
Read an interview with Natasha Subhash: http://www.americanbazaaronline.com/2015/08/25/13-year-old-indian-american-natasha-subhash-gets-wild-card-in-us-open-tennis-championships/