Arnav Paparkar: First Indian in 36 years to reach Wimbledon boys’ quarters. The 18-year-old from Pune defeated Japan’s Ryo Tabata 6-2, 6-1 in just 52 minutes on Wednesday, booking his spot in the quarter-finals at the All England Club. Arnav Paparkar, ranked No. 19 in the junior world rankings, will now face American qualifier Jordan Lee.
Paparkar’s victory marks a historic achievement. He is the first Indian to reach the Wimbledon boys’ singles quarter-finals since Leander Paes won the title in 1990. Yuki Bhambri, who won the junior Australian Open in 2009, was the last Indian to reach a junior Grand Slam quarter-final before Paparkar. The Indian fired eight aces and won 23 of 25 points on his first serve, with his fastest delivery clocking 208 km/h.
The win was especially sweet for Arnav Paparkar after losing to Tabata twice before, including a painful defeat where he led 5-2 in the decider and held five match points. That match was in my head. I was like, I cannot lose like that again, Paparkar said. He credited his improved mentality, saying he is now much calmer.
Paparkar trains in Pune with coach Hemant Bendre and at the Soto Academy in Spain under Nigel Beavers. His serve has improved dramatically since Bendre tweaked his action in April. It has given me a better rhythm and that has led to more consistency, Paparkar said. With his steady rise and historic run at Wimbledon, the young Indian has put himself on the tennis map.