State-by-State: A Complete Map of India's Junior Tennis Rankings

India's junior tennis ecosystem is vast, scattered across 32 states and union territories, and brutally competitive. Behind every ranked player is a story of early mornings, long road trips tournaments, and relentless point-chasing across the national circuit. But the geography of that competition is anything but uniform.

The March 2026 AITA rankings — covering Boys and Girls categories from Under-12 through Under-18 — paint a revealing picture of where Indian junior tennis is thriving, where it is quietly growing, and where it has yet to truly take root.

The Big Picture

7,796 ranked junior players. 32 states and union territories. 8 age categories.

The rankings span BU12, BU14, BU16, BU18 and the equivalent GU categories — a full cross-section of India's competitive junior pipeline. Not every state competes uniformly across all eight; some appear in just two or three categories. But taken together, the data tells a clear story: Indian junior tennis has a solid top tier, a fast-growing middle, and enormous untapped territory at the edges.

Tier 1: The Powerhouses

These are the states that dominate the rankings by sheer volume, elite output, or both.

🥇 Maharashtra — 1,014 Players

Maharashtra is India's largest junior tennis state — by number of ranked players, by national champions produced, and by depth across categories. Over a thousand players hold AITA rankings here, spread fairly evenly across all eight age groups, with the boys' categories (BU16: 185, BU14: 165) slightly outpacing the girls'.

The state's flagship name right now is Arnav Vijay Paparkar, who sits at #1 in BU18 with 1,701 points — the second-highest total points tally of any player in any category in India. Maharashtra also places multiple players inside national top-10 lists across BU12, BU14, BU16, GU14, GU16, and GU18, making it one of only two or three states with genuine all-round depth.

Average points per player: 59.9 — strong, but what's notable is the scale. Over 1,000 players generating that kind of average signals a wide competitive base, not just a handful of ringers pulling up the numbers.

🥈 Haryana — 857 Players

Haryana's sports culture is no secret — it's produced Olympic wrestlers, boxers, and athletes across disciplines — and junior tennis is no different. With 857 ranked players, Haryana is second nationally, and its BU16 and BU18 categories (180 and 154 players respectively) are among the most populated of any state in any category across India.

More importantly, Haryana produces winners. Tavish Pahwa is ranked #3 in both BU16 and BU18 — a rare double. Sarena Gahlot is #2 in GU14 with 1,242 points. Divey Malik and Paranjay Siwach both feature in the BU16 top 10. Khushi Kadian holds #6 in GU14. Kabir Dahiya is #4 in BU12.

That's six top-10 national rankings from a single state. Haryana doesn't just participate — it competes.

Average points per player: 63.8 — third-highest nationally among states with significant player counts.

🥉 Karnataka — 755 Players

Karnataka is consistently India's most technically sophisticated tennis state. Bangalore, in particular, has an academy culture and infrastructure that few other cities can match, and the rankings reflect it.

Puneeth M is #1 in BU14. Padma Priya Rameshkumar is #1 in GU14 with 1,455 points — a dominant total in a competitive category. Karnataka places players in the top 10 of BU12 (three separate names), BU16, BU18 (two players), GU12 (three players), GU14, and GU18. That's nearly every category touched at the elite level.

With 755 players and an average of 58.5 points, Karnataka's numbers are strong but its real story is quality over quantity. Few states can match the density of high-ranked players Karnataka generates relative to its size.

Tamil Nadu — 624 Players

Tamil Nadu's junior tennis scene punches consistently above its weight class in women's tennis, and the March 2026 rankings underline why.

Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi sits at #1 in GU18 with 1,937 points — the single highest total points figure in the entire dataset, across all 8 categories and all 7,796 players. That number is not a typo. Diya Ramesh backs her up at #2 in GU18. Tamil Nadu owns the top two spots in the GU18 category outright.

In GU16, the state holds three top-10 positions: Tanusshri Maneni Sathesh (#3), Deepthi Venkatesan (#4), and Deepshika Vinayagamurthy (#10). For girls' tennis especially, Tamil Nadu is a national powerhouse.

Average points: 57.1 — but the outlier at the top (1,937 points) skews this; the real story is consistent elite-level production in girls' categories.

Uttar Pradesh — 606 Players

UP is India's most populous state and the fifth-largest in junior tennis by player count. The numbers skew heavily male (BU16: 117, BU18: 104, BU14: 88 vs GU16: 79, GU14: 75) but the standout performer from the state is a girl: Sidhhi Pandey, ranked #4 in GU14 with 1,109 points. Rishi Yadav holds #9 in BU16.

Average points of 56.6 are solid. UP's volume is there; the question, as in many large states, is converting that base into more elite finishers.

Delhi — 554 Players

The capital produces a disproportionate number of high-ranked players for its relatively small geographic footprint. Delhi places across BU12 (#5 Kanishk Kanishk), BU16 (#7 Yash Sharma), BU18 (#6 Aashravya Mehra, #8 Praneel Sharma), and GU12 (#10 Tyakshi Lather).

Average points: 72.1 — the third-highest quality metric nationally. Delhi's volume is lower than Maharashtra or Haryana, but its players accumulate points at a higher average rate. Good infrastructure, proximity to national-level events, and competitive density in the region all contribute.

Telangana — 529 Players

Telangana punches well above its weight. The state holds four of the top 10 spots in BU14 alone — more than any other state in that category: Satya Parthiv Chintagunta (#5), Vishwak Reddy Gunampally (#7), Mokshagna Talasila (#8), Sujai Pothula (#10). That's remarkable concentration.

Hruthik Katakam is top-5 in both BU16 and BU18. Zoha Qureshi is #3 in GU14 with 1,114 points. Telangana has a clear strength in developing competitive talent at the 14-and-under level, with players carrying that form into the older age groups.

Average points: 62.4 — second only to Delhi among the high-volume states.

Tier 2: The Rising States

Rajasthan — 455 Players, Gujarat — 378 Players, Punjab — 343 Players, Madhya Pradesh — 264 Players, West Bengal — 252 Players, Assam — 231 Players

Rajasthan has good overall numbers but its player quality lags the Tier 1 states — average points of just 34.1, the lowest among major states. The standout is Aaradhya Mena, ranked #7 in GU16, and the state otherwise contributes solid volume in BU14, BU16, and BU18 without yet producing a national champion.

Gujarat may be the most interesting Tier 2 story. Average points of 67.9 rank it fourth-best nationally — above Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and UP. The state has genuine elite talent: Riaan Atul Nandankar is #1 in BU12 with 831 points. Jensi Dipakbhai Kanabar is #1 in GU16 and #7 in GU18 — a formidable multi-category performer. Samarth Ujaval Sahita and Om Ramesh Patel both make the BU18 top 10.

Gujarat is the definition of a quality-over-quantity state — fewer players than Haryana or TN, but the ones it has are very good.

Punjab holds the #1 spot in GU12 through Asees Kaur (859 points), and places two players — Adeshbir Ghuman (#2) and Tanish Nanda (#3) — in the BU14 top 3. Ranjhana Sangram is #5 in GU16. Solid elite output for a state its size.

MP has reasonable volume across all categories but struggles on quality — average points of 36.8 put it near the bottom of the measurable states. Vaidehi Shinde at #17 in GU14 is the state's best current performer.

WB's best performers come from the girls' categories: Priyangsi Chatterjee is #3 in GU12 with 825 points, and Akansha Ghosh holds #5 in GU18. On the boys' side, Atharv Narsinghani features at #7 in BU12. Average points of 56.9 are respectable — WB produces quality players but the pipeline isn't deep enough yet to challenge the Tier 1 states consistently.

Assam is a genuine northeastern standout. With 231 players, it's the largest junior tennis state in the northeast by a wide margin, and it has a national top-10 name to show for it: Nibras Kawsar Hussain, ranked #6 in BU14 with 695 points. Kristi Haloi appears at #9 in GU12. Assam's numbers taper off sharply in U18 categories — a sign that the development pipeline is strong at the base but struggles to hold players through the older age groups.

Tier 3: Emerging States

Andhra Pradesh — 178 Players
AP is small in volume but outsized in impact. Lakshya Vardhan Naidu Chukka is #1 in BU16 with 1,272 points — the highest single-category total among all boys across all ages. On the girls' side, AP places three players in the GU12 and GU14 top 10: Atharva Peram (#8 GU12), Parinitha Vattaprambil (#8 GU14), and Eshitha Sriyala (#10 GU14).

The average points figure of 73.4 — the second-highest nationally — tells the real story. AP doesn't have numbers, but its players are elite. A state that produces a national #1 with fewer than 200 ranked players total is doing something right at the development level.

Odisha — 175 Players
Odisha's headline name is Shazfa SK, ranked #5 in GU14 with 972 points — a strong performance for a state not typically associated with tennis excellence. Beyond Shazfa, the state has decent spread across categories but limited depth in the top ranks.

Bihar — 133 Players
Bihar's representation is primarily in the boys' categories. Numbers are reasonable for the state's sporting infrastructure, but average points of 32.9 reflect limited access to quality training and competitive exposure. Atharv Anand at #37 in BU16 is Bihar's best current national performer.

Chandigarh — 127 Players
Small territory, outsized results. Chandigarh is home to Ribhav Saroha, #2 in BU16 with 1,219 points — one of the highest-ranked players in the country. Average points of 52.8 reflect the city's access to quality coaching and private academies. For a union territory competing against full states, Chandigarh's per-player output is impressive.

Chhattisgarh — 107 Players
CG has unusual category distribution — BU18 (25 players) is actually larger than BU12 (10) or BU14 (17), which is rare. This may reflect older players staying in the ranking system rather than a strong youth pipeline feeding upward. Kautilya Kumar holds #14 in BU12 as the state's highest-ranked current player.

Uttarakhand — 47 Players
Small pool, but remarkable quality. With just 47 ranked players, UK posts the highest average points per player in the country at 105.2. Chaudhary Meera Singh is #2 in GU12 with 832 points, and Purvi Patwa holds #9 in GU14. Two top-10 national players from 47 total — an extraordinary hit rate. This is a state with a small but exceptionally well-developed subset of elite players, likely concentrated around a single high-quality academy or coaching setup.

Kerala — 59 Players
Kerala has long underperformed in racket sports relative to its sporting culture and literate middle class. Just 59 ranked players and average points of 31.5 suggest limited competitive infrastructure. Karan Thapa at #30 in BU18 is the state's top current performer. There's clear room to grow.

Tier 4: The Frontier States

These states and union territories have small but real representation in the rankings — a sign that tennis is taking root beyond the traditional heartlands.

Puducherry- 20
Jharkhand -20
Jammu & Kashmir - 17
Meghalaya - 13
Manipur - 12
Himachal Pradesh - 12
Goa - 7
Mizoram - 2
Tripura - 2

Himachal Pradesh is worth a closer look despite just 12 players — Adwik Bains at #35 in BU14 with 269 points is a real national-level performer from a state with virtually no tennis infrastructure to speak of. Manipur's Ethan Lalmuana (BU12 #181) and Mizoram's Lalhruaitluanga Sailo (BU14 #160) represent the game's quiet spread into the northeast.

The Regional Picture

Breaking the data down regionally reveals structural patterns that go beyond individual states:

South India (KA, TN, AP, TS, KL) accounts for roughly 2,086 players — 27% of all ranked juniors. More importantly, it holds a disproportionate share of national champions and top-10 finishers, especially in girls' categories. Tamil Nadu's GU18 dominance and Karnataka's GU14 supremacy are no accident — the south has invested heavily in girls' tennis development.

North and North-West (HR, DL, PB, RJ, UP) contribute around 2,815 players — 36% of the total. This is India's highest-volume region, led by Haryana and UP. The region is strongest in boys' categories and in the older age groups (U16, U18), where long-term competitive investment pays off.

West (MH, GJ) produces 1,392 players — 18% of the total — but punches above its weight in per-player quality. Maharashtra's BU18 champion and Gujarat's multi-category elite performers make this region the most consistently competitive in the country.

East and Central (WB, MP, CG, OD, BR) combined account for around 1,031 players — 13%. This is the region with the most room to grow, particularly in girls' tennis, where states like MP and BR trail significantly behind their male counterparts.

Northeast (AS, ML, MN, MZ, NL, TR) has approximately 261 players — just 3.3% of the total. Assam carries the region almost entirely. Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura have token representation. There is an entire frontier of tennis development waiting here.

Five Things the Rankings Reveal

1. Girls' tennis has a quality gap at the top — but it's closing.
The top-ranked GU18 player (Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi, TN) has 1,937 points. The top BU18 (Arnav Vijay Paparkar, MH) has 1,701. Girls' tennis at the elite level in India is currently more competitive at the top than boys'. The depth below the top 10 is thinner, but the peaks are higher.

2. ITF exposure is almost exclusively a U18 phenomenon.
Only BU18 (131 players) and GU18 (130 players) have any ITF points. Zero players in U12–U16 categories have recorded ITF points. The national-to-international transition happens sharply at 16–18, and many players are clearly making that jump cold.

3. Uttarakhand and Andhra Pradesh are quality outliers.
Both states have low player counts but the highest average points nationally. Something is going right in both places at the development level. For AITA and academies looking at where to invest, these are interesting signals.

4. The BU14 category is the most crowded battlefield.
With 1,331 ranked players — the highest of any single category — BU14 is where Indian junior tennis is most competitive. The gap from #1 (1,026 points) to the median (20 points) is enormous, which means the ranking ceiling is very high and easy early-round wins at lower-ranked tournaments are drying up.

5. Several large states are underperforming their population.
Bihar (133 players), Uttar Pradesh (606 players with modest average points), and Rajasthan (455 players, lowest average points among major states) all have population bases that should, in theory, support far more tennis activity. Infrastructure, coach availability, and tournament access are almost certainly the limiting factors.

Conclusion

India's junior tennis map in March 2026 is one of genuine depth at the centre and enormous potential at the edges. Maharashtra, Haryana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana are currently setting the standard. Gujarat and Punjab are closing fast. And in quiet corners — Uttarakhand's small but elite pool, Andhra Pradesh's national-#1-producing academies, Assam's northeastern dominance — there are stories worth watching.

The next generation of Indian professional tennis is somewhere in these 7,796 ranked names. The geography of where they come from will shape the sport for the next decade.

Data source: AITA Rankings, March 2, 2026. All rankings and points figures are as of that date.