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Seventeen-year-old Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi defeated Weronika Falkowska at the Chennai Open.
Maaya is ranked 669th in the world. (ANI Photo)
17-year-old Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi ended a 14-year wait for India by reaching the quarterfinals of a WTA Tour-level singles event. The teenager achieved the feat on Wednesday at the Chennai Open, becoming the first Indian woman since Sania Mirza in 2012 to make it to the last eight of a WTA singles tournament.
Ranked 669th in the world, Maaya secured her place in the quarterfinals with an impressive 6-4, 6-3 victory over Polish qualifier Weronika Falkowska, who is ranked 277th. Her win also ended India’s disappointing run at the Chennai Open, where no home player had progressed beyond the second round in the previous two editions.
The achievement marks an important moment for Indian women’s tennis. The last time an Indian woman reached a WTA Tour singles quarterfinal was in February 2012, when Sania Mirza advanced to the last eight of the Pattaya Open.
For Maaya, the Chennai breakthrough is another major landmark in what has been a promising season on the professional circuit. She first attracted attention with her maiden W35 singles title in Lagos, Portugal, in October, where she came through the qualifying rounds and won the tournament without losing a set.
She also lifted the doubles trophy alongside Ukraine’s Yelyzaveta Kotliar, becoming the youngest Indian to win a professional singles title since Sania.
The teenager has also made a recent change to her training base, moving from the Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain to the Elite Tennis Center in southern France.
Despite the significance of the result, Maaya had to work hard for her victory against Falkowska. The contest was littered with service breaks, double faults and unforced errors from both sides. However, the Indian’s willingness to attack and her ability to deliver at crucial moments ultimately made the difference.
Maaya endured a shaky opening, beginning the match with a double fault before surrendering her serve following a string of unforced errors. She quickly recovered, though, breaking Falkowska as the Polish player struggled to find consistency on her returns.
The Indian continued to play aggressively, but her low first-serve percentage gave Falkowska opportunities to put pressure on her second serve. The Pole capitalised once again, breaking Maaya with a cross-court winner after the teenager attempted to approach the net.
The opening set soon became a contest dominated by errors, as the players exchanged five successive service breaks. Falkowska eventually managed to hold her serve without conceding a point, moving ahead 4-2.
Maaya refused to let the advantage slip further. She broke back and followed it up with a successful service game to move 5-4 ahead. Falkowska then added to her troubles with two double faults and a forehand error, giving the Indian two opportunities to close out the set.
Although Maaya squandered the first set point with a backhand that went long, she made no mistake on the second. Falkowska attempted a cross-court winner but sent the ball wide, allowing the 17-year-old to take the opening set.
The second set offered a similar contest. Falkowska tried to generate more power from her shots, while Maaya continued to look for opportunities to dictate play with her aggressive approach.
This time, however, the Indian showed greater composure when it counted. She secured a crucial break in the eighth game to establish a 5-3 lead and moved within touching distance of a historic victory.
Maaya then served for the match and needed three match points to seal the contest. Falkowska’s forehand found the net on the third, confirming the Indian teenager’s place in the Chennai Open quarterfinals and a significant breakthrough for the country’s women’s tennis.
Match Results
Women’s singles – Round of 16
- Polina Kudermetova (6) beat Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-3, 6-0.
- Robin Montgomery beat Jeline Vandromme 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.
- Janice Tjen (1) beat Joanna Garland 7-6(1), 6-1.
- Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi beat Weronika Falkowska 6-4, 6-3.
- Indian players: Women’s doubles, Round of 16:
- Vaishnavi Adkar and Rutuja Bhosale beat Madeleine Brooks and Amelia Rajecki 6-4, 6-4.
- Nahia Karamoko and Simona Waltert beat Diya Ramesh and D. Vinayagamurthy 6-2, 6-2.
- Georgina Da Silva Fick and Zhibek Kulambayeva beat Hiroko Kuwata and Ankita Raina 6-1, 6-1.
Quick Answers
Ask News18Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi became the first Indian woman to enter a WTA Tour singles quarterfinal since Sania Mirza accomplished the feat in February 2012 at the Pattaya Open. She secured her place in the last eight at the Chennai Open with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Poland’s Weronika Falkowska.
Ask News18About the Author
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience …Read More
November 05, 2026, 07:21 IST
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