Maaya Rajeshwaran's Historic Chennai Open Run Ends in Quarter-Finals
16-year-old Maaya Rajeshwaran becomes the first Indian woman since Sania Mirza to reach a WTA quarter-final before falling to Robin Montgomery.
The fairytale run of Indian teenage sensation Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi at the Chennai Open 2026 came to a close on Friday. In a high-stakes quarter-final clash in the women's singles competition, the 16-year-old faced a tough challenge from the USA's Robin Montgomery, ultimately suffering a straight-sets defeat 3-6, 3-6.
Montgomery, a formidable opponent who secured the Libema Open WTA 250 title in the Netherlands this past June, proved too strong for the young Indian star. However, while the victory eluded her, Maaya's journey in Chennai has already etched her name into the history books of Indian tennis.
A Milestone for Indian Tennis
Maaya’s achievement is nothing short of historic. By reaching the quarter-finals, she became the first Indian woman to reach the last eight of a WTA Tour-level singles tournament since the legendary Sania Mirza did so in 2012 at the Pattaya tournament.
To put this achievement in perspective, Sania Mirza remains the gold standard for Indian women's tennis, being the only Indian woman to win a WTA singles title (Hyderabad, 2005) and reaching the fourth round of the US Open in the same year. Before Mirza's 2012 feat, Shikha Uberoi was the only other Indian woman in the 21st century to reach a WTA quarter-final, which she achieved in Kolkata back in 2005.
The Road to the Quarter-Finals
Entering the tournament as World No. 669, Maaya Rajeshwaran played the role of the giant-killer. Her campaign began with a stunning upset over the eighth seed and world No. 115, Katarzyna Kawa of Poland. In a nail-biting encounter, Maaya showed immense grit, recovering from a 5-2 deficit in the final set to secure a 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(5) victory.
She maintained her momentum in the second round, where she comfortably defeated Polish qualifier Weronika Falkowska with a score of 6-4, 6-3 to book her spot in the quarter-finals.
Joining an Elite Global Club
Maaya's success isn't just a national milestone but a global one. She has now become only the fourth player born in 2009 or later to reach a WTA Tour-level quarter-final. She joins an exclusive list of young prodigies including Julieta Pareja (USA), Kristina Liutova (Russia), and Sun Xinran (China).
Other Indian Performances
While Maaya stole the spotlight, other Indian athletes also made their mark in Chennai:
- Vaishnavi Adkar: India's No. 1 achieved a career milestone by recording her first-ever main-draw victory at a WTA Tour tournament, defeating England's Jodie Burrage 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the first round, before exiting in the second.
- Sahaja Yamalapalli: Her campaign ended in the opening round.
Although the singles challenge for India has concluded, the nation's hopes remain alive in the doubles competition. Two Indian pairs have advanced to the quarter-finals: the duo of Maaya and Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, and the pairing of Vaishnavi Adkar and Rutuja Bhosale.
A Rising Star on the Move
This tournament is just another chapter in Maaya's rapid ascent. In February, she reached the semi-finals of the Mumbai WTA 125 tournament, which was only her fourth professional outing. More recently, she clinched her first professional title at the W35 event in Lagos, Portugal, after battling through the qualifying rounds. This victory established her as the youngest Indian to win a professional singles title since Sania Mirza.