PROSTEJOV, CZECHIA — The Indian U14 girls’ team faced another tough test at the 2026 World Tennis 14&U Junior Team Finals, narrowly losing 1-2 to a strong Italian squad in their latest group-stage tie.
The tie opened with a closely contested singles match between India’s Padmapriya Ramesh Kumar and Italy’s Giulia Luchetti. Despite a resilient effort from Kumar, Luchetti managed to secure crucial breaks in both sets to take the opening point for Italy.
India responded brilliantly in the second singles rubber. Srishti Kiran, currently the highest-ranked Indian junior on the team, delivered a commanding performance against Olivia Serena Conticello. Kiran dictated play throughout the match to secure a comfortable straight-sets victory, successfully levelling the overall tie at 1-1.
The final outcome came down to the deciding doubles rubber. The Indian pair of Srishti Kiran and Padmapriya Ramesh Kumar battled hard but ultimately fell to the Italian duo of Olivia Serena Conticello and Giulia Luchetti, who clinched the tie for Italy.
Score Summary
- Rubber 1: Giulia Luchetti (ITA, 1193) d. Padmapriya Ramesh Kumar (IND, 1289) 6-4, 6-4
- Rubber 2: Srishti Kiran (IND, 357) d. Olivia Serena Conticello (ITA, Unranked) 6-0, 6-3
- Rubber 3: Olivia Serena Conticello & Giulia Luchetti (ITA) d. Srishti Kiran & Padmapriya Ramesh Kumar (IND) 6-3, 6-4