Arnav Paparkar shocks World No. 3 Junior, marches into Wimbledon Boys’ singles third round

LONDON: Arnav Paparkar, the 6ft 1’ Indian, ranked No. 19 in the junior rankings, is a typically understated 18-year-old, with an easy smile and a quick stride. He is not one to make a fuss about anything, including beating the world’s No.

3 junior and Australian Open finalist Keaton Hance of the United States. But after sealing a 6-2, 6-3 victory to reach the third round of the Wimbledon boys' singles, he allowed himself a brief celebration, throwing both arms into the air.It was another strong serving day for Paparkar, who served six aces, and dropped just 18 points on serve, only eight on his first delivery, and saved all six breakpoints he faced. Hance was below his best, but Paparkar barely put a foot wrong as he recorded the biggest win of his junior career.A football fan in his spare time, Paparkar had also watched part of Hance's first-round match and tucked away a few mental notes.“I was moving him a lot, and then he started missing, that is something I noticed from his first match. I served very good myself,” Paparkar said. “I’ve come a long way, I feel very proud. It's a different feeling.”Next up for the Indian is Japan's Ryo Tabata, a player Paparkar lost to twice last year.

Their first meeting remains fresh in his memory. He led the deciding set 5-2 and held five match points before letting it slip.“We have a history,” Paparkar said with a smile.Paparkar's parents, Vijay and Vijaya, an engineer and an Ayurveda doctor, have backed his development, funding his training in Spain and tournament schedule around the world. There is no history of competitive sport in his extended family, so as a youngster he sampled almost everything.“I love sports. I used to play whatever I could, table tennis, swimming, cricket, football,” he said. “There was a tennis court right beside the place I used to go to swim, and I hung around and watched the tennis. Then, when I was 6 years old, the coach told me to join and I started playing tennis.”