Chennai Open: Maaya Rajeshwaran India’s last singles hope as Vaishnavi Adkar bows out

India’s women’s singles campaign at the Chennai Open now falls to Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi after national number one Vaishnavi Adkar crashed out in the round of 16 on Thursday. Adkar suffered a comprehensive 3-6, 0-6 defeat to seventh seed Anastasia Zakharova of Russia, ending her campaign.

Meanwhile, Maaya kept India’s hopes alive with a convincing 6-4, 6-3 win over Poland’s Weronika Falkowska in the second round. The wild card entrant put in an impressive performance at the WTA 250 tournament and will now be the country’s sole representative in the singles draw.

Adkar entered the second lap on the back of the ship impressive comeback win against Britain’s Jodie Burrage. The Indian recovered from losing the opening set to win 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 and showed considerable fight to reach the last 16. However, she could not repeat that performance against Zakharova.

ZACHAROV’S BACKHAND COMES TOO STRONG ON ADKAR

Seventh seed Russia dictated proceedings with her returns, moving Adkar from side to side and setting up points with considerable ease. The Pune player was under pressure from the start, saving two break points in the third game before a backhand error gave Zakharova the advantage.

Adkar showed some fight and earned a chance to break through, recovering from 0-40 to force a deuce. However, Zakharova held on after a long match with four doubles and built a 3-1 lead. Vaishnavi Adkar lost to Anastasia Zakharova in the round of 16 at the Chennai Open. Courtesy: PTI

The Indian continued to struggle against the Russian’s powerful backhand and consistency from the baseline. Zakharova repeatedly found winners on this wing and constantly put Adkar under pressure to serve. Adkar did save a break after a net change, but was forced to fend off three more after a series of return errors.

The Russian eventually secured another break when Adkar sent a forehand beyond the baseline to move ahead 4-1. The Indian had opportunities to reduce the deficit but missed four break points to allow Zakharova to consolidate her lead.

At the end of 2-5, Adkar requested a medical time-out to undergo treatment on her left thigh. She returned with her thigh tied and managed to break Zakharova, briefly raising hopes of a rematch. But she couldn’t keep up the momentum, dropping her own serve after finding the net with a forehand to surrender the opening set 3-6.

The second set was even more difficult for the Indian. Her body language faltered as unforced errors crept into her game, while Zakharova remained composed and took advantage of her opponent’s struggles to complete a 6-0 second-set run to book her place in the quarter-finals.

MAAYA KEEPING INDIA’S HOPE ALIVE

With Adkar’s exit, Maaya is now India’s sole representative in the women’s singles draw. The 17-year-old has already produced one of the biggest performances of her young career, defeating eighth seed Katarzyna Kawa in a thrilling three-set encounter in the opening round, winning 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(5).

She followed that up with an order A 6-4, 6-3 victory over Poland’s Weronika Falkowska to reach her first quarterfinal on the WTA circuit. Maaya became the first Indian player in 14 years to reach the quarterfinals of the Chennai Open.

The wild card entrant will next face American Robin Montgomery as she looks to continue her impressive run and take India’s singles challenge deeper into the tournament.

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