Pandole topples top seed Nikshep

Maharashtra's Rian Pandole toppled top seed B R Nikshep of Karnataka in the boys under-16 singles third round of the Babolat 8th Ramesh Desai National Championship for Under 16 and 12 boys and girls here today.
Pandole, ranked 17th in the country, made full use of the home conditions to shock Nikshep in straight sets 6-4 6-4 at the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association's courts.
He set up a quarter-final meeting with 8th seed Nitin Kumar Sinha of West Bengal who prevailed over his state mate Ishaque Eqbal 6-4 7-6(1).
Chandigarh's Param Pun knocked out third seed Sanil Jagtiani of West Bengal, winning 6-3 5-7 6-3, while Maharashtra's Siddhant Banthia stunned Assam's 5th seed Parikshit Somani 6-4 6-1.

Second seed Paramveer Singh Bajwa of Punjab marched to the quarter-finals with an authoritative 6-1 6-3 win over Shramay Dhawan of Himachal Pradesh.
Mahesh Mohapatra of Orissa, the top seed in the boys under-12 category, also bowed out after losing to Gujarat's Krish Patel in a long drawn third round encounter at 6-1 2-6 6-1.
Results (Round 3): Girls u-16 singles: 1-Abinikka R (TN) bt Vaidehi Chaudhari (GJ) 6-1 6-1; Sarah Dev (PB) bt Priyana Kalita (AS) 7-6(4) 6-1; 4-Himani Mor (HR) bt Akanksha Bhan (GJ) 6-3 6-3; Rishika Ravi (TN) bt Prinkle Singh (JK) 4-6 6-3 6-3; 7-Jennifer Luikham (HR) bt R Sai Avanthika (TN) 7-5 6-0; 3-Mihika Yadav (MH) bt Shivani Swarup Ingle (MH) 6-2 6-2; 8-Sathwika Sama (AP) bt Baani Singh (PB) 6-2 6-2; Mahak Jain (MH) bt Sabhyata Nihalani (DL) 6-3 6-3.

Boys u-16 singles: Rian Pandole (MH) bt 1-Nikshep BR (KA) 6-4 6-4; 8-Nitin Kumar Sinha (WB) bt Ishaque Eqbal (WB) 6-4 7-6(1); Param Pun (CH) bt 3-Sanil Jagtiani (WB) 6-3 5-7 6-3; 6-Shrey Gupta (HR) bt Dhruv Sunish (MH) 6-3 6-4; Siddhant Banthia (MH) bt 5-Parikshit Somani (AS) 6-4 6-1; Manish S (TN) bt Vikash Singh (WB) 6-3 6-0; Sumit Pal Singh (JK) bt Saipranav Ponaka (KA) 6-2 6-7(4) 7-5; 2-Paramveer Singh Bajwa (PB) bt Shramay Dhawan (HP) 6-1 6-3.