Kriish Tyagi hits the front in ITF junior rankings

BENGALURU: Kriish Tyagi is India’s number one junior (boys singles) courtesy the two International Tennis Federation’s under-18 singles titles he has won in the last couple of months. The 17-year-old from Bengaluru has now climbed to a career-high No 51 in the latest ITF junior rankings .

The Malaysian-born Indian – who won the J200 (Fergana, Uzbekistan) in early October and J100 in (Harare, Zimbabwe) in August -- is back in the city after a long run on the junior circuit.

“I’m a much more confident player now on the court. I am sticking to the game plan, and it’s working much better because my game has also become strong, helping me go deep in the draw in competitions,” he said.

Tyagi, whose father Ajay Tyagi works in the Port Sector in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is targeting a top-20 ranking by the end of the year.

Tyagi, who is 6 feet 1’ and still growing, is likely to feature in the main draw of the Australian Open junior boys event, starting Jan 18. “I not only want to get into the main draw, I want to be seeded this time,” he said.

The long-haired teenager, who lost in the qualifying event in Melbourne in successive years, is keen to shine at the big-ticket event. Considering his current form, Tyagi, who idolizes Serbian ace Novak Djokovic, will be much better prepared this time.

Tyagi will limit himself to Grand Slams and J500 events in the junior category next year. He plans to gradually shift his focus to the men’s competition, playing Futures and Challengers.

Tyagi, who trains at the Harsha Lingappa Tennis Academy in Bengaluru, will look to sharpen his game, particularly his serve in the coming weeks. “I have decent serves, but I want to improve it, I also want to get stronger and bigger,” said Tyagi.

The India No.1 is scheduled to play the J500 in Merida, Mexico, (from Nov 25). He will also feature in J300 Bradenton (from Dec 2) and J500 Plantation, (Dec 9) both in the United States. “These are important tournaments for me, and I’m quite sure of doing well in these and improving my ranking,” he said.