India’s no. 1 Vaishnavi, 17-year-old Maaya script thrilling comebacks for maiden WTA 250 main-draw wins at Chennai Open

India’s No. 1 singles player Vaishnavi Adkar and 17-year-old Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi produced impressive fighting performances to register their maiden main-draw victories at the WTA 250  level at Chennai Open International Women’s Tennis Championships 2026, with both players recovering from 3-5 deficits in the deciding set to win their respective opening-round matches at the SDAT Tennis Stadium on Tuesday.

Adkar made the most of her wild card to overcome Great Britain’s Jodie Burrage 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a contest that lasted two hours and 46 minutes. After dropping the opening set, the Indian raised her level to take the second and carried that momentum into the decider.

Adkar made a strong start to the final set, moving ahead 3-1, but Burrage fought back to lead 5-3. With the Briton serving for the match, Adkar found a crucial response, striking a forehand down the line to earn a break and level the set at 5-5. She held her nerve in the closing games to complete the comeback.

“It was a tough match. I just tried to give my all on every point, and it worked pretty well for me,” Adkar said after the win.

Reflecting on her fightback, she added, “I told myself to take it one point at a time. The first set was shaky, and I wasn’t feeling that great. Later, I started thinking I had nothing to lose and became more confident in my game. I started believing I could match her level and going for my shots. That was the turning point.”

Burrage appeared to struggle physically in the hot and humid conditions and took a medical timeout during the match. The extended interruption gave both players an opportunity to recover.

“The break gave both of us some time to recover. I could also speak to my coaches, so it worked for me as well,” Adkar said. Describing the contest as physically draining, she added that she was looking forward to recovering before her next match.

Seventeen-year-old Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi, ranked 665 in the world, also made excellent use of her wild card, defeating eighth seed Katarzyna Kawa of Poland, ranked 115, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(5) to secure her maiden WTA 250 main-draw victory.

Maaya started strongly, while Kawa took time to settle into the match. The Indian kept her composure to take the opening set 6-4. Kawa responded in the second, raising her level and playing with greater consistency to win it 6-2.

The Polish player appeared to be in control of the deciding set and opened up a 5-2 lead as Maaya began making errors. However, the teenager fought back, capitalising on Kawa’s dip in momentum to break serve and reduce the deficit. Maaya then held serve to level the set at 5-5. Both players held their next service games to take the match into a deciding tie-break.

Maaya carried her momentum into the tie-break moved ahead 4-2 and then 5-2. She maintained her composure to close it out 7-5, sealing the victory with a superb backhand down the line.

After the match, Maaya thanked her coaches and support team, acknowledging their role in helping her win matches.

The main draw began on Tuesday after persistent rain washed out Monday’s scheduled matches. The Chennai Open, being held at the SDAT Tennis Stadium, offers a total prize purse of US$283,347 and runs until November 8.