17-year-old Indian-origin Australian Leana Nannapaneni (AUS, 452) won the girls’ doubles title alongside Emily Dunn (NZL, 412) at the ITF J60 Lautoka tournament, held from October 13 to 18, 2026 on outdoor hard courts at the Regional Tennis Centre in Lautoka, Fiji. The pair completed a 3–0 title run without dropping a set and defeated Audrey Chen (AUS, 1494) and Kyla Guirguis (AUS, 1826) 6-3, 7-5 in the final, giving Nannapaneni her 4th ITF Junior title of the 2026 season.
Unbeaten 3–0 run with Emily Dunn to the doubles trophy
Nannapaneni (AUS, 452) and Dunn (NZL, 412) entered the doubles draw as the highest-ranked pairing in the field and received a 1st-round bye into the quarterfinals. They opened their campaign by beating Jinxuan Liao (CHN, 3149) and Justina Ma (HKG, 2352) 6-2, 6-0, losing just 2 games across the match.
In the semifinals, the trans-Tasman duo came through a tight 12-game opening set before pulling away to defeat Taylah Lessue (AUS, 635) and Coco Purcell (AUS, 1271) 7-5, 6-2. They carried that momentum into the championship match, breaking through late in both sets to edge Audrey Chen (AUS, 1494) and Kyla Guirguis (AUS, 1826) 6-3, 7-5 for the title.
2nd seed reaches singles semifinals in Lautoka
Seeded 2nd in the girls’ singles draw, Nannapaneni also reached the semifinals at J60 Lautoka. She swept Group B with a 2–0 record in the round-robin stage, defeating Mathea Heje (NOR, 2056) 6-0, 6-1 and Yume Kakiuchi (JPN, 3397) 6-1, 6-4 to book her spot in the 8-player knockout bracket.
In the quarterfinals, she held off Naomi-Mariana Vakadranu (AUS, 4041) 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 in 3 sets before bowing out 6-2, 1-6, 3-6 to eventual finalist Meina Hirai (JPN, 2816) in the last 4. Her younger sister Saesha Nannapaneni also competed in the main draw in Lautoka, picking up a 6-1, 6-0 round-robin win over Gabriella Perdomo Montoya (COL) in Group F.
Leana Nannapaneni doubles results at ITF J60 Lautoka
| Round | Match | Score | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| F | Leana Nannapaneni AUS · 452 / Emily Dunn NZL · 412 d. Audrey Chen AUS · 1494 / Kyla Guirguis AUS · 1826 | 6-3, 7-5 | Closed out a tight 12-game 2nd set to clinch the trophy without dropping a set |
| SF | Leana Nannapaneni AUS · 452 / Emily Dunn NZL · 412 d. Taylah Lessue AUS · 635 / Coco Purcell AUS · 1271 | 7-5, 6-2 | Edged a 12-game opening set before racing through the 2nd |
| QF | Leana Nannapaneni AUS · 452 / Emily Dunn NZL · 412 d. Jinxuan Liao CHN · 3149 / Justina Ma HKG · 2352 | 6-2, 6-0 | Conceded just 2 games in their opening match on court |
| R16 | Leana Nannapaneni AUS · 452 / Emily Dunn NZL · 412 — Bye | BYE | Received a 1st-round bye in the main draw |
Leana Nannapaneni singles results at ITF J60 Lautoka
| Round | Match | Score | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| SF | Meina Hirai JPN · 2816 d. [2] Leana Nannapaneni AUS · 452 | 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 | Won the opening set 6-2 before Hirai rallied in 3 sets |
| QF | [2] Leana Nannapaneni AUS · 452 d. Naomi-Mariana Vakadranu AUS · 4041 | 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 | Rebounded in the deciding set after dropping a tight 12-game 2nd set |
| RR | [2] Leana Nannapaneni AUS · 452 d. Yume Kakiuchi JPN · 3397 | 6-1, 6-4 | Sealed 1st place in Group B with a straight-sets win |
| RR | [2] Leana Nannapaneni AUS · 452 d. Mathea Heje NOR · 2056 | 6-0, 6-1 | Dropped just 1 game in her Group B opener |
From 5 AM Port Pirie sessions to Rafa Nadal Academy and SA Parliament
Raised in the regional town of Port Pirie in South Australia, Nannapaneni built her game through 5:00 AM training sessions under court lights with her father, Dr Sridhar “Neni” Nannapaneni, before he opened his dental clinic each morning. Every week, the family drove more than 1,000 kilometres round-trip to Adelaide so Leana and Saesha could train under coach Domenic Marafiote and compete in junior and senior state league matches for Tea Tree Gully Tennis Club.
In February 2024, South Australian Minister Geoff Brock paid tribute to Nannapaneni in the House of Assembly after she earned a 6-month scholarship at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain following her performance at the Rafa Nadal Tour Australian Masters in Melbourne. Earlier this season, she won back-to-back singles titles at J30 Adelaide and J60 Adelaide alongside a J100 Canberra clay-court doubles title with Jizelle Sibai, climbing to a career-high ITF Junior ranking of 433 on October 5, 2026.
“I don’t see tennis just as a sport, but I see it as my lifeline which has taught me how to handle pressure, wins, losses, respect, resilience, humbleness to name a few. It has taught me to be extremely disciplined in education and to focus on the process, not the results.”
— Leana Nannapaneni, cited by Hon. Geoff Brock in the South Australian House of Assembly (February 20, 2024)
Dr Neni family’s contributions to South Australia’s Indian community
Beyond the tennis court, the Nannapaneni family is closely involved in civic and multicultural life across South Australia, led by her father Dr Sridhar “Neni” Nannapaneni. Through his regional dental network across Port Pirie, Port Augusta, Tanunda, Nuriootpa, and Renmark, and his service with state and diaspora bodies, Dr Neni has long supported migrant and regional communities across the state.
Advised the South Australian Government
Dr Sridhar “Neni” Nannapaneni served as a member of the South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission (SAMEAC), advising the State Government on migrant and multicultural policy.
SA Private Sector Multicultural Award
Neni’s Dental Group won the Private Sector Award at the 2018 South Australian Governor’s Multicultural Awards for championing cultural diversity across 5 regional clinics.
Community relief with TASA
An active leader with the Telugu Association of South Australia (TASA), Dr Neni helped spearhead a $250,000 community fundraising drive for a bereaved Telugu family in Adelaide.
25–12 singles record on tour
With 2 singles crowns in Adelaide and 2 doubles titles in Canberra and Lautoka, Leana holds a 25–12 (68%) singles record on the 2026 ITF Junior tour.