Wimbledon: Indian-origin American Samir Banerjee wins the boys singles title

Indian-origin American Samir Banerjee lifted the Wimbledon boys singles title with a straight-sets win over compatriot Victor Lilov on Sunday.

Playing his second junior Grand Slam, 17-year-old won 7-5, 6-3 in the final that lasted in one hour and 22 minutes. At the junior French Open, Banerjee, ranked 19 in the world, had crashed out in the first round.

On Saturday, he was tested in the semi-finals against France’s Sascha Gueymard Wayenburg before winning 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-2. In the quarters, he Mili Poljicak 6-1, 6-1.

Banerjee’s parents moved to America in the 1980s.

Samir Banerjee, an American of Indian origin, is the junior Grand Slam singles champion.

The 17-year-old beats Victor Lilov 7-5, 6-3 in the final

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— The Field (@thefield_in) July 11, 2021

India has been struggling to field junior Grand Slams players for some time now.

Due to lack of a robust domestic circuit and not having enough competitions at home to earn world ranking points, India has been struggling to create the next crop of youngsters.

Yuki Bhambri was the last Indian to win a junior singles title when he triumphed at the Australian Open in 2009 while Sumit Nagal won the Wimbledon boys doubles in 2015 with Vietnam’s Ly Hoang Nam.

Ramanathan Krishnan was the first Indian to win a junior major when he…

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