Arnav Paparkar continues his dream Wimbledon run and marches into the boys’ singles

Indian teenager Arnav Paparkar continued his remarkable run at Wimbledon 2026 with another clinical performance to book his place in the boys’ singles quarter-finals with a dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory over Japan’s Ryo Tabata on Court 8 on Tuesday.

The 18-year-old, who arrived at the All England Club as the junior world No.19, needed just 52 minutes to dismantle Tabata and move to within two wins of a place in the final. The result also extended what has already become the best Grand Slam run of his young career after impressive performances at Roland Garros and Wimbledon this season.

Paparkar was in complete control from the start, relying on powerful serves and clean ball strikes to dictate the game. He hit eight aces and remarkably didn’t commit a single double fault, winning an excellent 92 percent of his first serve points. Even on his second serve, the Indian scored 69 percent of the points, leaving Tabata with little chance of a comeback.

The Indian was equally ruthless on the return, converting four of his 10 break point chances. Paparkar also dominated the winner and error count, hitting 21 winners and committing only five unforced errors.

In contrast, Tabata managed just six wins and was compensated by 23 unforced errors, highlighting the gap between the two players.

ARNAV PAPARKAR’S GIANT KILLING RUN

Paparkar’s run to the quarter-finals was one of the standout stories of the Wimbledon Junior Championships.

The Indian opened his campaign with a commanding straight sets win in the first round and showcased his grass-court credentials with an authoritative serve.

He then made headlines by pulling off one of the tournament’s biggest upsets, knocking out third seed and junior world No. 3 Keaton Hance of the United States 6-2, 6-3 in the second round.

Hance entered Wimbledon as one of the favorites after finishing runner-up at the junior Australian Open this year, but Paparkar outplayed the American from start to finish with fearless attacking tennis.

Paparkar carried that momentum seamlessly into the third round against Tabata, delivering arguably his most dominant performance of the last fortnight. The Indian has now dropped just one set en route to the quarter-finals, while defeating higher-ranked opponents with impressive consistency.

After three impressive wins, Paparkar will go into the match with plenty of confidence to face the quarter-final winner between fellow Indian Tanishq Konduri and Jordan Lee, with a place in the semi-finals at stake.

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Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

08 Jul 2026 17:00 IST