Vaishnavi exits Chennai Open; Maaya and Shrivalli upset third seeds to enter doubles quarters

India’s top-ranked player Vaishnavi Adkar bowed out of the singles competition at the Chennai Open International Women’s Tennis Championships 2026 after suffering a 6-3, 6-0 defeat to seventh seed Anastasia Zakharova of Russia in the second round at the SDAT Tennis Stadium on Thursday.

Zakharova produced an impressive performance on Centre Court, dictating play with her powerful backhand and consistent shot-making to keep Adkar under pressure throughout the 82-minute contest.

Vaishnavi, who had produced a stirring fightback to defeat Britain’s Jodie Burrage in her opening-round match, struggled to take control against the Russian, who had the edge in the rallies and used her returns effectively to move the Indian from one corner of the court to the other.

The Indian was put under pressure from the beginning, saving two break points in the third game before Zakharova eventually secured the break. Vaishnavi fought hard to create opportunities of her own, earning multiple break points, but could not convert them as the seventh seed held firm.

Trailing 2-5, Vaishnavi called for a medical timeout to receive treatment on her left thigh. She returned with her thigh strapped and managed to break Zakharova’s serve, but could not sustain the momentum as the Russian broke back to take the opening set 6-3.

Zakharova carried that advantage into the second set, while Vaishnavi struggled to find her rhythm. The Russian maintained control throughout, wrapping up the match 6-3, 6-0.

Speaking after the match, Zakharova said, “I have really enjoyed playing on Centre Court.”

The Russian has reached the quarter-finals for the second consecutive time at the Chennai Open.

Third seed Magda Linette of Poland also booked her place in the quarter-finals with a 7-6(5), 6-0 win over Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima. After a closely contested opening set that went into a tie-break, Linette raised her level in the second, winning six consecutive games to complete a straight-sets victory.

Tenth seed Lucrezia Stefanini of Italy also advanced to the last eight, defeating Switzerland’s Simona Waltert 6-2, 6-3. Stefanini controlled the contest with steady baseline play, sealing the win in one hour and 32 minutes to set up a quarter-final meeting with Zakharova.

In the doubles, Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi and Shrivalli Bhamidipaty delivered an impressive performance to upset third seeds Aneta Kladivova and Aneta Laboutkova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-2 and book their place in the quarter-finals.

Maaya, who made history earlier this week by becoming the first Indian to reach the singles quarter-finals at this tournament, will face American Robin Montgomery in the last eight on Friday. She will also partner Shrivalli in the doubles quarter-finals against the Dutch-Hungarian combination of Isabelle Haverlag and Panna Udvardy.

The Chennai Open, a WTA 250 tournament played on hard courts, offers a total prize purse of US$283,347 and concludes on November 8.

WOMEN’S SINGLES – ROUND OF 16 RESULTS

[7] Anastasia Zakharova (RUS) def [WC] Vaishnavi Adkar (IND) 6-3, 6-0

Mai Hontama (JPN) def [Q] Zhibek Kulambayeva (KAZ) 4-6, 6-4, 7-5

[3] Magda Linette (POL) def Moyuka Uchijima (JPN) 7-6(5), 6-0

[10] Lucrezia Stefanini (ITA) def Simona Waltert (SUI) 6-2, 6-3

WOMEN’S DOUBLES – ROUND OF 16 RESULTS

Weronika Falkowska (POL) / Alana Smith (USA) def Mai Hontama (JPN) / Moyuka Uchijima (JPN) 2-6, 6-4, [10-1]

[WC] Shrivalli Bhamidipaty (IND) / Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi (IND) def [3] Aneta Kladivova (CZE) / Aneta Laboutkova (CZE) 6-3, 6-2

WOMEN’S DOUBLES – QUARTER FINALS RESULTS

Naima Karamoko (SUI) / Simona Waltert (SUI) def. [1] Momoko Kobori (JPN)/ Peangtarn Plipuech (THA)  6-4, 7-6 (5)