5th seed Vaishnavi Adkar (IND, 366) finished runner-up at the ITF W35 Monastir tournament on Sunday, falling 3-6, 5-7 to 6th seed Elena Milovanovic (SRB, 425) in 2 hours and 10 minutes on the outdoor hard courts in Tunisia. Despite the defeat, the 21-year-old from Pune takes over as India No. 1 on Monday and is projected to climb 27 spots to a career-high rank near No. 339 when her 23 runner-up points are added on October 26.
Milovanovic edges past Adkar in 2 hours and 10 minutes after a tight 2nd set
Playing on Court 1 at the Magic Hotel Skanes Family resort, Adkar broke Milovanovic in the opening game of the match for 1-0, but the Serbian 6th seed broke right back and broke again in the 4th game for a 3-1 lead. Adkar created single break points in the 3rd and 5th games, yet Milovanovic saved both and closed out the 52-minute 1st set 6-3 on her 2nd set point.
The 1-hour-and-18-minute 2nd set turned into a 12-game baseline battle. Milovanovic broke in a 16-point opening game on her 3rd break point, only for Adkar to break back immediately at 15 for 1-1. Adkar held 4 consecutive service games to lead 2-1, 3-2, 4-3, and 5-4, while generating 1 break point in the 4th game and 3 break points at 15-40 and advantage in the 6th game that Milovanovic fought off.
From 4-5 down, Milovanovic held at love for 5-5, broke Adkar at 15 in the 11th game for 6-5, and served out the 6-3, 7-5 victory on her 2nd match point after Adkar saved 1 match point from 40-0 down. Across the final, Milovanovic won 81 of 152 total points (53.3%) compared to 71 for Adkar (46.7%), converting 4 of 10 break chances while Adkar converted 2 of 8 and saved 6 break points.
How Adkar rises to India No. 1 and a projected career-high rank near 339
Adkar entered the tournament ranked No. 366 with 178 points from 20 events. On Monday, October 19, she moves up 1 spot to No. 365 on 178 points and officially overtakes Sahaja Yamalapalli (who drops 14 points from 181 to 167 at No. 378) to become the new India No. 1 in women’s singles.
Under WTA rules, ITF W35 points are added with a 1-week lag on Monday, October 26. Because a player’s singles ranking counts her best 18 results over 52 weeks, Adkar’s 23 runner-up points from Monastir replace her 18th-best countable score of 1 point (from W35 Roehampton in April 2026), with 0 points expiring that week. The net gain of 22 points lifts her total to 200 points, which projects to around No. 339—beating her previous career high of No. 361 from September 21, 2026, by 22 spots.
New India No. 1 at No. 365
Moves up 1 place on 178 points to overtake Sahaja Yamalapalli (167 points) atop the Indian women’s singles rankings.
+23 WTA points earned
Collects 23 points for reaching the W35 Monastir final, replacing a 1-point result from her top-18 breakdown for +22 net points.
Projected ~No. 339 on 200 points
Rises 27 spots from No. 366 to around No. 339 when Monastir points go on the computer, with 0 points dropping that week.
3rd ITF singles final of 2026
Adds Monastir runner-up to her W100 Bengaluru final in February and her W35 Kalaburagi title in March.
Statistical breakdown — Milovanovic vs. Adkar
| Statistic | [6] Elena Milovanovic SRB · 425 | [5] Vaishnavi Adkar IND · 366 |
|---|---|---|
| Total points won | 81 / 152 (53.3%) | 71 / 152 (46.7%) |
| Service games held | 9 / 11 (81.8%) | 6 / 10 (60.0%) |
| Break points converted | 4 / 10 (40.0%) | 2 / 8 (25.0%) |
| Service points won | 48 / 79 (60.8%) | 40 / 73 (54.8%) |
| Return points won | 33 / 73 (45.2%) | 31 / 79 (39.2%) |
| Points won by set (S1 / S2) | 36 / 45 | 30 / 41 |
Vaishnavi Adkar’s 5 singles matches at ITF W35 Monastir
| Round | Match | Scoreline | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| F | [6] Elena Milovanovic SRB · 425 d. [5] Vaishnavi Adkar IND · 366 | 6-3, 7-5 | Saved 6 break points in 2h 10m |
| SF | [5] Vaishnavi Adkar IND · 366 d. Ekaterina Tupitsyna 551 | 6-2, 6-1 | Won 59 of 92 points in 1h 11m |
| QF | [5] Vaishnavi Adkar IND · 366 d. [Q] Sofia Camila Rojas USA · 692 | 6-1, 6-0 | Won 50 of 65 points in 51 minutes |
| R16 | [5] Vaishnavi Adkar IND · 366 d. [LL] Sophia Biolay FRA · 800 | 6-2, 6-2 | Held all 8 service games in 1h 19m |
| R32 | [5] Vaishnavi Adkar IND · 366 d. [WC] Nuria Sarganella Verdu ESP · 1494 | 6-3, 6-2 | Won in 45 minutes in straight sets |