British rising star Jack Berry and India’s Jannat Chiripal wrapped up the second week of the ITF World Tennis Tour J30 on a high note, claiming the boys’ and girls’ singles titles respectively in thrilling finals held at IPRC-Kigali Ecology Tennis Court on Saturday, May 3. Berry, 17, captured his maiden ITF junior title in dominant fashion, defeating China’s Lantian Bai 6-1, 6-1 in the boys’ singles final. The Briton, who had been steadily building form throughout the two-week tournament, was in complete control in the final, dismantling Bai with consistent groundstrokes and smart court positioning. His win in Kigali marks a major milestone in his tennis career. “It wasn’t easy over the past two weeks, but I’m happy to have finished strong in my first ITF tour, and I’m going home to celebrate with my family before I get back to training. I still have many tournaments ahead,” he told Times Sport after the victory. ALSO READ: Berry, Chiripal advance as familiar faces return to ITF finals In the girls’ singles category, India’s Jannat Chiripal delivered a spirited comeback. After falling short in the week one final against top seed Janvi Asawa, Chiripal got her revenge in the second week by defeating Asawa 6-4, 6-4 in a tightly contested final. The two Indian prodigies faced off once again in a rematch filled with intensity and high-quality rallies, but this time Chiripal showed greater composure and tactical variety to seal the win. She acknowledged that the match was mentally and physically demanding. “I lost in the first week against Janvi, but I tried to stay true to myself this time and played with confidence. That was the secret behind my victory today,” she said.
