Chennai, Nov 3 India’s teenage tennis star Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi and Vaishnavi Adkar pulled off stirring upsets to claim their maiden WTA Tour-level victories and light up the Chennai Open with a memorable double triumph here on Tuesday.
While Maaya stunned world number 115 and eighth seed Katarzyna Kawa in a nerve-wracking three-set battle for the biggest win of her career, Vaishnavi saved herself from a 3-5 deficit in the deciding set to overcome Britain’s Jodie Burrage 3-6 6-3 7-5 in a gruelling contest played in testing humidity.
Maaya was down 2-5 in the deciding set but she hung in with her never-say-die spirit to upset the Polish player 6-4 2-6 7-6(5) in two hours and 27 minutes.
Maaya’s fearless hitting, athleticism and energy on the court was a delight to watch. The feisty Indian, ranked 669, justified the wild card given to her.
What was remarkable was that never in the match she looked like giving it away despite being put under the pump several times in the second and third sets by the player almost double her age at 33.
Having the weapon is one thing and using it when required is the other. Maaya was willing to take risks and unleash her big strokes and serve and it all came together, resulting in a memorable win.
She was 5-2 up in the tie-breaker, lost three points in a row but her relentless approach did not change as she closed the match when the Polish player could not return the ball back on a backhand shot.
Earlier, the 21-year-old Vaishnavi, who has been making steady progress on the international circuit, had to dig deep against the experienced Burrage, a former top-100 player who has featured in Grand Slam main draws on multiple occasions.
Vaishnavi, who had a nervous start and lost the opening set, raised her level considerably in the second, improving her returns and finding greater consistency from the baseline to draw level.
She broke Burrage twice in the set, despite surrendering her own serve once, to force a decider after an intense middle phase in which both players struggled to hold serve.
The Indian appeared in control after securing an early break in the decider, but the experienced Briton fought back to take a 5-3 lead and move within a game of victory.
Vaishnavi, however, produced a remarkable late fightback, winning four games in a row to turn the match around, breaking Burrage twice before serving out the contest at love to seal a landmark victory.
Earlier, the Indian endured a nervous start, losing eight consecutive points and dropping her serve in the second game.
She got her first point through a return error from Burrage and immediately broke back in the next game, helped by two foot faults from the Briton on second serves.
The Indian gradually found her rhythm, returning well and matching her opponent from the baseline. A cross-court winner at 30-all earned her a break opportunity, which she converted with a stunning forehand down the line to move ahead 3-2.
However, Burrage responded strongly, breaking Vaishnavi in the next game and again in the eighth to take a 5-3 lead. The Briton put pressure on the Indian’s serve and comfortably closed out the opening set.
Vaishnavi made a positive start to the second set, creating an early break. The Indian then negotiated a marathon third game, saving four break points and surviving six deuces to hold serve.
She finally secured the breakthrough in the fourth game, converting her first break point with a service-return winner off Burrage’s second serve after the Briton had committed a forehand error at 30-all.
Vaishnavi, however, surrendered the advantage immediately, dropping her serve with a couple of errors. But Burrage began to struggle with her consistency, and the Indian capitalised to break again for a 4-2 lead before serving out the set to take the match into the decider.
An early break in the third set put Vaishnavi in control, but Burrage continued to fight. The Indian faced a break point in the fourth game but produced a superb running backhand winner to save it and hold for a 3-1 advantage.
From the players’ box, India’s former doubles star Rohan Bopanna, who coaches at the academy where Vaishnavi trains, kept encouraging her to maintain the pressure.
“Make her play every ball, keep at it, keep at it,” Bopanna was heard telling the Indian as Burrage began to show signs of fatigue.
The physical demands of the contest were becoming increasingly evident, with the intensity of Burrage’s game dropping after more than two hours in the humid conditions.
The experienced Briton, however, summoned her reserves to turn the contest around, breaking Vaishnavi twice to take a 5-3 lead and move within a game of victory.
But Vaishnavi refused to give in. She broke back to stay in contention and then put Burrage under further pressure in the 11th game.
A cleverly executed drop shot helped her reach deuce before a forehand winner earned her a break point. Burrage, visibly tired, sent a forehand long to surrender her serve.
The Briton subsequently called for the physiotherapist and took a medical timeout, appearing to struggle with her breathing.
With the finish line in sight, Vaishnavi showed no nerves, serving out the match at love to seal a memorable maiden WTA Tour-level victory in front of the home crowd.
In other matches of the day, Indonesian top seed Janice Tjen made a strong start, beating American Katherine Hui 6-1 6-2 in less than an hour but fourth seed Hungarian Panna Udvardy was knocked out by American Robin Montgomery, who was a US Open doubles finalist this year, 6-4 1-6 6-1.
Taipei’s Joanna Garland defeated Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann 6-3, 6-4, while Poland’s Weronika Falkowska overcame Czech Republic’s Linda Fruhvirtova 7-6(3), 6-4.
Russia’s Oksana Selekhmeteva also advanced to the second round with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Serbia’s Teodora Kostovic.
(PTI News)
