Aradhya Kshitij, a 17-year-old from Bengaluru, is quietly rising through the junior circuit. And with a recent ITF J200 Kolkata title in the bag, he is now looking to step into the big leagues in the coming years with a mindset of never backing down. In Kolkata, that approach made all the difference.
Picking up a tennis racquet at the age of four after his teacher suggested he needed to be put into a sport to channel his boundless energy, Aradhya Kshitij’s journey progressed at the Transform Tennis Academy. He completed his schooling at Prakriya Green Wisdom School before moving to an online programme with Laurel Springs. With his father serving in the Merchant Navy on rotational duties, Aradhya has been largely accompanied by his mother, who quit her job as a schoolteacher to travel with him full-time.
Coming into the tournament, Aradhya was carrying the weight of early exits in the previous two tournaments. This had dented his confidence.
“I was pretty low on confidence. Honestly, I didn’t even want to play the Kolkata tournament. But something really clicked in the buildup, I just thought, why should I keep thinking about proving something to anyone? Why not just go out there and play freely and see what happens?” he questioned.
Seeded sixth in the draw, Aradhya’s path to the title demanded an extraordinary level of resilience. In the semifinals, he faced top seed Eyad Reda Ezzat Mohamed Sherif of Egypt, a match that tested both patience and belief. After dropping the opening set, Aradhya steadied himself, gradually turning the contest on its head to prevail 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
The final brought another stern examination, against Korea’s Dongjae Kim, Aradhya once again found himself on the back foot, losing the first set before clawing his way back into the contest. The decider went down to a tense tiebreak, where he held his nerve to close out a hard-fought 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(3) victory.
“I lost the first set in the semis and finals, I had to come back and I think the biggest difference this time was that I just didn’t give up at all. The mindset was simple, just keep playing. That match really summed up what I was trying to do the whole week, I was down a set again, but I didn’t panic this time. I just told myself to keep playing, keep fighting, and not give up on any point,” he reflects.
The Kolkata title was his first at the J200 level, but it echoed earlier moments in his journey. At 14, he claimed his maiden ITF title at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium in Bengaluru, fittingly, also after recovering from a set down in the final.
“Bengaluru is one of my favourite cities to play in, apart from a few European venues, because that’s where I won my first ITF title. Even there, I had to come back from a set down,” he recalled. “Those matches teach you a lot. They make you realise that things can change if you stay in the fight.”
With a European stint next on the calendar, potential men’s tournaments on the horizon, and junior Grand Slams firmly in his sights, the J200 Kolkata title feels less like an end point and more like a turning point.
“I just want to be continue being a warrior on court, to fight for everything, no matter what the scoreline is,” Aradhya signed off.
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