Odisha girl Sohini Mohanty made history as she became the first tennis player of the state to reach AITA Nationals U-14 singles final before finishing runners-up at Maharashtra Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) court in Mumbai today. Bhubaneswar girl Sohini also settled as U-14 doubles runners-up with Mansi Singh (Delhi) as her partner.

A protégé of coach Farhan Ali, Sohini started the singles final against Asmi Adkar of Maharashtra on a dominant note, winning the first set 6-1. But Adkar bounced back to win the next two sets 6-4, 6-2 and the title as well.

In the doubles final, Sohini and Mansi lost to Telangana-Maharashra combination of Ikaraju Kanumuri and Aishwarya Jadav 7-5, 4-6, 1-10. A student of KIIT International School, Bhubaneswar, Sohini is said to have won 52 All-India titles at the age of 12.
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PHOTO: Sohini Mohanty with her AITA Nationals U-14 runners-up trophies in Mumbai on 20 March, 2021.