Published Jun 11, 2026 | 1:25 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 11, 2026 | 1:25 PM
Srishti Kiran. (Supplied)
Synopsis: Bengaluru teenager Srishti Kiran has become the world’s top-ranked Under-13 player after winning five ITF junior titles and finishing runner-up at the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors J100 Guatemala. The 13-year-old has risen to a career-high ITF Junior ranking of No. 357, achieving the feat after competing in only eight ranked events and compiling an 88 percent win rate in singles this year. Her father, Kiran Gopalrajan, told South First that the ranking was an encouraging milestone, but that her long-term goal remains winning Grand Slam titles and an Olympic medal for India.
Bengaluru’s teenage tennis prodigy Srishti Kiran is now at the top of the world Under-13 rankings after a string of impressive performances on the ITF junior circuit, including five ITF junior titles and a runner-up finish at the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors J100 Guatemala, which concluded on 6 June.
The results have propelled the 13-year-old, who is set to turn 14 on Saturday, 14 June, to a career-high ITF Junior ranking of No. 357, making her the highest-ranked player in the world in her age group.
For her father, Kiran Gopalrajan, the ranking is a source of great pride, but it is only one of the many stepping stones he hopes she will climb on her way to achieving her dream of winning Grand Slam titles.
“It definitely feels great that she has been able to top her age category. We are super proud of her. She has been doing well and we hope she continues. But in junior tennis, I feel rankings do not really matter because they keep changing,” he told South First.
“What is important is that she continues to hone her skills, stays focused, and keeps working towards achieving bigger things as time progresses. Hopefully, she will continue on this path and eventually do very well in senior tennis, where rankings really matter. She understands that this is a long journey. We keep reminding her of that, and so do her coaches.”
Nevertheless, Srishti’s achievement is particularly noteworthy because ITF junior rankings are calculated using a player’s best results from up to 10 tournaments. Yet, after participating in only eight ranked events, she had already accumulated enough points to secure her ranking.
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In Guatemala, Srishti advanced to the final with victories over Katia Maria Pemueller of Guatemala, Sarah Stoyanov and Filipa Delgado of the United States, and Hanne Estrada Cortes of Mexico before losing to fellow American Ellery Mendell in the title match.
Her title-winning run includes victory at the J60 Santa Tecla tournament in El Salvador in May, where she defeated Canada’s Eve Thibault in the final. Earlier in the year, she claimed back-to-back J30 titles in Huamantla, Mexico.
Srishti Kiran. (Supplied)
Before that, in October, she won consecutive J30 tournaments in Sosúa and Cabarete in the Dominican Republic, overcoming older and more experienced opponents on the international circuit.
Srishti currently has compiled a 23-3 win-loss record in 2026 ITF Juniors Singles, giving her a success rate of 88 percent.
“The ITF circuit is not an easy pathway. Generally, young players take time even to qualify for the main draw because these are among the toughest junior tournaments in the world. Srishti is competing largely on the American circuit, which is also considered one of the most competitive environments. She achieved this in a very short span. She started winning ITF tournaments from only her second event and went on a 25-match winning streak,” Gopalrajan said.
“She has been performing extremely well on the junior ITF circuit. Even I have been surprised by the way she has been beating players who are significantly older than her and, in many cases, ranked much higher. Many of those players have been competing on the circuit for four or five years.”
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Gopalrajan said he introduced Srishti to tennis at a very early age after noticing that she was unusually active and strong for her age.
“I felt she might do very well in sport. Since I personally like tennis, I was inclined towards introducing her to a racket sport. Tennis was a natural choice. She took to the game immediately. At a very young age, she was winning tournaments above her age category. By the time she was five or six years old, she was already performing exceptionally well. Around the age of eight, she was doing very well in national-level events,” he said.
“We were also fortunate to work with excellent coaches in Bengaluru.”
That early success eventually took her to the United States. While competing at the Orange Bowl, one of junior tennis’s most prestigious tournaments, she caught the attention of coaches at RPS Tennis Academy in Florida.
“She was noticed by Gabe Jaramillo and his team at RPS Tennis Academy. They felt she had the potential to do well, and that eventually led to our move to the United States for training,” Gopalrajan added.
“She spends four hours a day in school and four hours a day on tennis.”
Gopalrajan is currently in the United States with Srishti on a tourist visa to support her dream, having stepped away from his businesses in Bengaluru.
“Srishti wants to become World No. 1 in women’s tennis and win Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal for India. My wife remains in India, while Srishti and I are here in the United States trying to help her achieve that dream,” he added.
“We would certainly welcome more support. The Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association has been trying to help us in whatever way it can. However, it would be great to have better support from the government and for more corporates to come forward and support young athletes,” he added.
