Along-held dream came true for Shristi Selvan on August 15, 2026. She received a Gold Ball from Billie Jean King in San Diego. Standing beside her was another Indian-origin girl, Aarini Bhattacharya.
The teenagers, whose parents hail from Chennai and Kolkata respectively, were the two finalists in the girls’ singles final at the USTA Under-16 National Championships. Shristi prevailed, earning a wildcard into the US Open Junior Championships. She will now compete against the best under-18 players in the world, starting September 6.
Shristi and Aarini made the final from a 192-player main draw. They train together at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in Maryland.
Shristi’s coach, Paula Coyos, who has worked with her since she was nine, describes her as an aggressive, all-court and “very free-minded” player. “She likes having her favourite patterns, but wants the freedom to make them her own and add little variations depending on what she sees and feels on the court. That creativity is a big part of who she is as a player,” Paula tells The Indian Express.
Before Shristi, Paula taught the sport to her elder sister, Shivaani. The coach remembers a then seven-year-old Shristi sitting courtside with a notebook, taking notes or drawing.
The younger sibling started picking up balls during practice. One day, Paula handed her a spoon in place of a racket, to gauge her hand-eye coordination. Shristi never missed.
Shristi Selvan with Billie Jean King during USTA Under-16 National Championships. (Jon Mulvey/USTA)
She dabbled in ballet, gymnastics and piano too, briefly, but none of it matched the joy of hitting tennis balls cleanly. “She would never come off the court,” Shristi’s father, Selvan Dhurai, recalls.
Even as Selvan and his wife, Subathra Dhanaraju, managers in software engineering and HR respectively, were focused on Shivaani’s game, Paula kept insisting that Shristi’s talent was different. The parents soon saw it too. “She was very fast on court. Though the technique was not there, her willingness to put the ball back in play and challenge bigger, older players told us there was something special.”
Then there was the mental side. Shristi first showed tenacity and ambition in her pre-teen years, when being called “Shivaani’s sister” stopped sitting right with her. “No, no, no, I’m not Shivaani’s sister anymore. I’m Shristi Selvan,” she said at the time. Cut to August 15, 2026, when she battled debilitating cramps in the third set of her final against Aarini.
The cramping began in Shristi’s hand and spread to her quads and calves. She took a medical timeout, but was still writhing in pain afterward. Denied a second timeout, and barely able to move, Shristi gritted it out. The cramps eventually eased, and she won her ticket to Flushing Meadows.
Unlike Selvan and Subathra, Aarini’s parents don’t believe their daughter has a special talent. “We are very critical of her. We think she just likes to play and that’s it,” says Aurpon Bhattacharya, a partner at a global consulting firm. Academics come first for Aarini and her family, and they make no secret of it.
Aurpon’s father retired as additional chief secretary of West Bengal, and his mother is a doctor. His wife, Moumita, is a controller at a life sciences company, and her father is an IIT graduate. Rather than turning pro or chasing an ITF title, Aarini’s goal is an Ivy League college.
Aurpon explains the reasoning. “What happens if being pro doesn’t work out? Then you have something else to fall back on, because very, very few people make it. And then the financial investment needed is very difficult.”
Aarini Bhattacharya with Billie Jean King during USTA Under-16 National Championships. (Jon Mulvey/USTA)
He adds, matter-of-factly: “Some people might really want to go pro, and it’s very impressive, kudos to them; we hope to see them on TV. Some people are also very realistic.”
The Bhattacharyas fall firmly into the second category. Aarini wants to leverage her tennis to get into the best academic institution possible, unless something remarkable happens along the way.
“She will play some entry-level pro tournaments starting next year. Her goal is to play the junior Grand Slams on the way. If something dramatic happens, sure, she’ll try. But that’s not the goal right now,” Aurpon says.
Coach Mira Vlcek describes Aarini as an attacking baseliner with “a quality serve and aggressive forehand.” He credits her high first-serve percentage, paired with her forehand, for shaping her strong run at the Under-16 Nationals.
Playing a junior Grand Slam is her short-term goal, per Mira, but there’s no pressure from her parents in that regard. Aurpon adds, “Moumita has always told her that when we see the US Open finals or Wimbledon finals, you’ll be the person handing out the cheque. That balance has helped her, freed her tennis a lot.”
Shristi and Aarini still train on the same courts at the JTCC, most days, alongside each other. One is picturing herself lifting a trophy. The other is picturing herself handing one out.