PANAJI
Dmitry Smirnov advanced to the quarter finals of the masters 45+ singles category of the second edition of the Bandodkar Panjim Gymkhana Tennis Open, which got underway at the Panjim Gymkhana in the state capital on Friday.
Dmitry defeated Anup Sardesai 6-0 in the pre-quarter final match. Earlier, Anup defeated Vinod Chandra 6-4 ahead of his encounter with Dmitry.
In other matches in the masters 45+ singles category, James Darbar overcame a challenge from Brian Fernandes 6-2, while Rohan Lotlikar had an easy outing against his opponent Sunil Signapurkar, defeating the latter 6-1. In their respective matches against Suraj Pombra and Akhil Pavithran, Shubert Colaco and Navin Cardoz, respectively, did not break a sweat winning 6-0 against their rivals.
In two closely contested matches in the same category, Kedar Tari overcame a tough challenge from Neenad Desai 7-6(5), while Naveen Daivajna pipped Sudhir Bavkar to the post in a close on-court encounter 7-6(7). In the only other match in the masters 45+ singles event played on the opening day, Nikunj Gupta defeated Saurabh Khanna 6-4.
The ongoing Bandodkar Panjim Gymkhana Tennis Open 2025 has received a record 266 entries, making it the largest-ever turnout for an All-Goa tennis tournament. The state-level ranking event that kicked off from April 4 at the Panjim Gymkhana courts, honours the legacy of late Dayanand Bandodkar, Goa's first Chief Minister. The tournament is scheduled to conclude on April 13, promising more than a week of exciting tennis matches.
