Junior Benjamin emerged victorious in the open men’s singles at the Vodafone Suva Tennis Open Championship, defeating Raynal Singh with a score of 4-1. In the women’s category, Sina Izumi claimed the title.
Praful Prabhu also celebrated success in the Over-45 Men’s Singles final, where he beat Massimo Camassei with an 8-3 score. Prabhu expressed his delight at winning at his age, acknowledging the increased level of competition and the high number of participants as positive changes in the tournament.
“It was a great competition. I’m surprised that at this age I can still win, especially with the level of competition having gone up,” Prabhu stated.
He attributed his victory to the intense training he undertook in preparation for the championship, along with support from his team at Victoria Tennis. “I had a lot of hard training before coming into the competition, and the support from my Victoria Tennis group team really kept me going,” he shared.
Praful recalled his past triumphs, noting his Junior Champion titles in the Under-13 and U16 categories in Nadi. After a 38-year break, he returned to tennis following time spent in Australia, continuing to perform well in the sport.
He dedicated his win to his family and friends for their unwavering support and motivation.
Other final results included U14 Boy’s Singles: Uraia Ratu 8-5 Liam O’Donell; U16 Boy’s Singles: Rezwan Khan 8-3 Ziqi Gao; U14 Girl’s Singles: Alexandria Chand 8-5 Tabhita Speed; Social Women’s Singles: Emily Wilson 8-4 Beatrix Ecube; and U16 Girls Singles: Davina Mailtorok 8-2 Malia Bossley.