Ajeet Shankar Rai (born 18 January 1999) is a New Zealand professional tennis player.
| Full name | Ajeet Rai |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  New Zealand |
| Residence | New Plymouth, New Zealand |
| Born | 18 January 1999 New Plymouth, New Zealand |
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Plays | Right-handed player |
| Coach | Rakesh Rai |
| Prize money | $83,852 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 1–6 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 0 (3 ITF) |
| Highest ranking | No. 417 (10 April 2023) |
| Current ranking | No. 634 (1 April 2024) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 1–3 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 0 (1 Challenger, 11 ITF) |
| Highest ranking | No. 244 (1 April 2024) |
| Current ranking | No. 244 (1 April 2024) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | 3–8 (singles 2-8, doubles 1-0) |
| Last updated on: 1 April 2024. | |
Rai has a career-high ATP singles ranking of 424, achieved on 3 April 2023, and a best doubles ranking of 304, reached on 3 April 2023.
Tennis career edit
2018 edit
Rai's first experience of professional tennis was being given a wildcard into qualifying for the Auckland Open, where he was beaten by Taro Daniel in the first round. He played his first senior ITF tournament in Kampala, Uganda, in May, qualifying for the main draw in singles, where he reached the second round. The following week, at the same venue, he was given a wildcard into both doubles and the main draw for singles, and reached the quarterfinals of both.
He reached his first doubles semifinal in China in July, but the highlight of his year to that date would come in September, when he made his Davis Cup debut for New Zealand, partnering Artem Sitak to win their doubles rubber against South Korea, giving Rai a perfect start to his senior international representative career. His first ITF doubles final came in Hua Hin, Thailand, in October, where he and Karunuday Singh lost in a match tie-break to the top seeds, Francis Casey Alcantara and Sonchat Ratiwatana. In singles at the same tournament, he progressed past the quarterfinals for the first time, going all the way to take the title over Manish Sureshkumar in three sets. His season finished with a couple of quarterfinal losses in Futures events in Tây Ninh, Vietnam.
2019 edit
Again given a wildcard into qualifying in Auckland, Rai was a game away from defeating Roberto Marcora in the first round before eventually losing in three sets. He and New Zealand junior champion George Stoupe were given a wild card into the doubles, where they lost in the first round to Artem Sitak and Austin Krajicek.
In Uganda on the anniversary of his ITF debut, Rai injured his back severely enough in his second event to need three months' rehabilitation before he returned to the tour in South-East Asia. Well-beaten in his first match, he steadily improved through a series of tournaments to reach another doubles final in Hua Hin in August. By the worst possible luck, his partner, former dual Australian Open junior doubles winner Bradley Mousley, injured his knee in his singles semifinal earlier in the day and had to retire from that match. He played the doubles final, but with very restricted movement the pair were easily beaten by the top-seeded Ratiwatana twins from the host country.
Rai reached two more ITF doubles finals before the end of the year, in Hua Hin two weeks later and in Cancún, Mexico, in late November, finishing runner-up on each occasion.
2020 edit
With the ITF Circuit returning to New Zealand for the first time in several years, Rai's first event for 2020 was at the new tournament in Te Anau, where he lost in the quarter-finals of both singles and doubles. At the ASB Classic in Auckland, Rai received a wildcard into both the singles qualifying rounds and the doubles, losing his first match in both. The doubles defeat, however, came at the hands of the eventual champions, Luke Bambridge and Ben McLachlan, and Rai and partner Mackenzie McDonald played extremely well.
Rai's next stop after Auckland was Cancún, where he played three tournaments in as many weeks. The second was the most productive, reaching the quarterfinals in singles and finally securing a doubles title, in his fifth final. Rai then returned home for New Zealand's Davis Cup tie against Venezuela in Auckland, where he lost in singles to Luis David Martínez in three sets. He didn't play again before the international tour was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and his only subsequent events were domestic tournaments such as the New Zealand Premier League, Wellington Open/New Zealand Championships (where he finished runner-up) and the Te Anau Invitational.
2021 edit
Rai resumed his international career in June, playing a series of ITF tournaments in Monastir over the next couple of months. He reached several doubles finals but, frustratingly, it took five attempts before he was able to win another title. Apart from a brief trip to Spain to renew his visa, he stayed in Monastir until November, eventually winning six doubles titles from 11 finals before returning to New Zealand.
2022 edit
Rai made three more ITF singles finals, winning the last of them. He also took the doubles title at Nonthaburi in his first ATP Challenger event.
ATP Challenger and ITF Circuit finals edit
Singles: 5 (3 titles, 2 runners-up) edit
|
|
| Result | No. | Date | Level | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1. | 13 October 2018 | 15,000 | Hua Hin, Thailand | Hard |  Manish Sureshkumar
|
6–3, 4–6, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1. | 28 August 2022 | M15 | Changwon, Korea Rep. | Hard |  Lee Jea-moon
|
4–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 2. | 9 October 2022 | M25 | Tây Ninh, Vietnam | Hard |  Lý Hoàng Nam
|
4–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 2. | 18 December 2022 | M15 | Wellington, New Zealand | Hard (i) [Note 1] | James Watt
|
6–2, 6–4 |
| Win | 3. | 8 October 2023 | M25 | Cairns, Australia | Hard |  Jeremy Beale
|
3–2, ret. |
Note 1: this was an outdoor tournament, but several matches, including the final, were played indoors due to bad weather.
Doubles: 25 (13 titles, 12 runners-up) edit
|
|
| Result | No. | Date | Level | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1. | 12 October 2018 | 15,000 | Hua Hin, Thailand | Hard | Karunuday Singh
|
 Francis Casey Alcantara  Sonchat Ratiwatana
|
1–6, 6–1, [6–10] |
| Loss | 2. | 24 August 2019 | M15 | Hua Hin, Thailand | Hard | Bradley Mousley
|
Sanchai Ratiwatana Sonchat Ratiwatana
|
2–6, 0–6 |
| Loss | 3. | 7 September 2019 | M15 | Hua Hin, Thailand | Hard |  George Loffhagen
|
 Ray Ho  Kelsey Stevenson
|
6–7(4–7), 2–6 |
| Loss | 4. | 23 November 2019 | M15 | Cancún, Mexico | Hard | Cameron Green
|
 Skyler Butts  Nicholas Bybel
|
5–7, 5–7 |
| Win | 1. | 1 February 2020 | M15 | Cancún, Mexico | Hard |  Simon Carr
|
 Gabriel Petit Brandon Walkin
|
6–4, 6–2 |
| Loss | 5. | 29 May 2021 | M15 | Monastir, Tunisia | Hard | Siddhant Banthia
|
Jeremy Beale Thomas Fancutt
|
4–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 6. | 12 June 2021 | M15 | Monastir, Tunisia | Hard | Jeremy Beale
|
Siddhant Banthia Park Ui-sung
|
w/o |
| Loss | 7. | 26 June 2021 | M15 | Monastir, Tunisia | Hard |  Benjamin Winter Lopez
|
Julian Cash Mark Whitehouse
|
6–7(1–7), 3–6 |
| Loss | 8. | 17 July 2021 | M15 | Monastir, Tunisia | Hard | Jeremy Beale
|
Arthur Bouquier  Santiago Rodríguez Taverna
|
7–5, 4–6, [7–10] |
| Win | 2. | 7 August 2021 | M15 | Monastir, Tunisia | Hard | Blake Ellis
|
 Taisei Ichikawa Seita Watanabe
|
6–2, 6–3 |
| Win | 3. | 11 September 2021 | M15 | Monastir, Tunisia | Hard |  Mattia Bellucci
|
 Gabriel Décamps  Robert Strombachs
|
7–6(7–1), 6–7(5–7), [10–4] |
| Win | 4. | 18 September 2021 | M15 | Monastir, Tunisia | Hard | Li Tu
|
Martin Breysach Lilian Marmousez
|
6–0, 6–4 |
| Loss | 9. | 25 September 2021 | M15 | Monastir, Tunisia | Hard | Giorgio Ricca
|
 Guy Orly Iradukunda  Marat Sharipov
|
3–6, 6–4, [6–10] |
| Win | 5. | 16 October 2021 | M15 | Monastir, Tunisia | Hard | Mateo Nicolás Martínez
|
 Anis Ghorbel  Mirko Martinez
|
6–7(1–7), 6–4, [11–9] |
| Win | 6. | 30 October 2021 | M15 | Monastir, Tunisia | Hard | Mirko Martinez
|
Théo Arribagé Axel Garcian
|
6–4, 1–6, [10–8] |
| Win | 7. | 6 November 2021 | M15 | Monastir, Tunisia | Hard | Mirko Martinez
|
 Pierre-Yves Bailly Martin Katz
|
3–6, 7–6(7–5), [10–8] |
| Win | 8. | 27 August 2022 | M15 | Changwon, Korea Rep. | Hard | Thomas Fancutt
|
Jeong Yeong-seok Lee Jea-moon
|
5–7, 6–4, [10–8] |
| Win | 9. | 10 September 2022 | Challenger | Nonthaburi, Thailand | Hard | Chung Yun-seong
|
Francis Casey Alcantara  Christopher Rungkat
|
6–1, 7–6(8–6) |
| Loss | 10. | 5 November 2022 | Challenger | Sydney, Australia | Hard | Yuta Shimizu
|
Blake Ellis Tristan Schoolkate
|
6–4, 5–7, [9–11] |
| Win | 10. | 23 September 2023 | M25 | Darwin, Australia | Hard | Thomas Fancutt
|
Blake Bayldon Brandon Walkin
|
6–1, 6–4 |
| Win | 11. | 25 November 2023 | M25 | Brisbane, Australia | Hard | Thomas Fancutt
|
Joshua Charlton Emile Hudd
|
6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 12. | 3 December 2023 | M25 | Carrara, Australia | Hard | Thomas Fancutt
|
Blake Bayldon Kody Pearson
|
7–1, 7–6(12–10) |
| Loss | 11. | 27 January 2024 | Challenger | Indian Wells, USA | Hard | Thomas Fancutt
|
Ryan Seggerman Patrik Trhac
|
4–6, 6–3, [3–10] |
| Loss | 12. | 2 March 2024 | M25 | Traralgon, Australia | Hard | Jesse Delaney
|
Joshua Charlton Blake Ellis
|
1–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 13 | 23 March 2024 | M25 | Swan Hill, Australia | Grass | Hayden Jones
|
Jesse Delaney Luke Saville
|
6–4, 6–4 |
Davis Cup (11) edit
| Group membership |
| World Group (0) |
| Group I (1–8) |
| Group II (2–0) |
| Group III (0) |
| Group IV (0) |
indicates the outcome of the Davis Cup match followed by the score, date, place of event, the zonal classification and its phase, and the court surface.
| Rubber outcome | No. | Rubber | Match type (partner if any) | Opponent nation | Opponent player(s) | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 2–3; 14-15 September 2018; Gimcheon Sports Town Tennis Courts, Gimcheon, South Korea; Asia/Oceania Group I Relegation playoff, 2nd round playoff; Hard (i) surface
| ||||||
| Victory | 1. | III | Doubles (with Artem Sitak) | South Korea
|
Hong Seong-chan / Lee Jea-moon | 7–5, 6–3 |
 3–1; 14-15 September 2019; Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex, Jakarta, Indonesia; Asia/Oceania Zone Group II playoffs (first round); Hard surface
| ||||||
| Victory | 2. | I | Singles | Indonesia
|
Muhammad Rifqi Fitriadi | 7–6(9–7), 6–3 |
| Defeat | 1. | IV | Singles (dead rubber) | Ari Fahresi | 3–6, 6–2, [7–10] | |
| 3–1; 6-7 March 2020; ASB Tennis Centre, Auckland, New Zealand; World Group I Play-offs, 1st round playoff; Hard surface
| ||||||
| Defeat | 2. | II | Singles |  Venezuela
|
Luis David Martínez | 7–5, 4–6, 2–6 |
| 3–1; 4-5 March 2022; Darling Tennis Center, Las Vegas, United States; World Group I Play-offs, 1st round playoff; Hard surface
| ||||||
| Defeat | 3. | II | Singles |  Uruguay
|
Pablo Cuevas | 4–6, 2–6 |
| 0–5; 16-17 September 2022; Espoo Metro Areena, Espoo, Finland; World Group I 1st round; Hard (i) surface
| ||||||
| Defeat | 4. | II | Singles |  Finland
|
Otto Virtanen | 4–6, 3–6 |
| 1–3; 4-5 February 2023; Wilding Park, Christchurch, New Zealand; World Group I Play-offs, 1st round playoff; Hard surface
| ||||||
| Defeat | 5. | I | Singles |  Bulgaria
|
Alexander Lazarov | 6–7(1–7), 2–6 |
| Defeat | 6. | IV | Singles | Dimitar Kuzmanov | 3–6, 7–5, 4–6 | |
| 3–1; 15-16 September 2023; ILT Stadium, Invercargill, New Zealand; World Group II (first round); Hard (i) surface
| ||||||
| Victory | 3. | II | Singles | Thailand
|
Maximus Jones | 6–1, 6–3 |
| 1–3; 2-3 February 2024; ASB Tennis Centre, Auckland, New Zealand; World Group I Play-offs, 1st round playoff; Hard surface
| ||||||
| Defeat | 7. | II | Singles |  Türkiye
|
Yankı Erel | 7–6(7–5), 2–6, 4–6 |
| Defeat | 8. | IV | Singles | Altuğ Çelikbilek | 3–6, 2–6 | |
External links edit
- Ajeet Rai at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Ajeet Rai at the International Tennis Federation
- Ajeet Rai at the Davis Cup
