17-year-old Indian qualifier Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi (IND, 726) delivered the highest-ranked victory of her career on Wednesday in Monastir, overturning a set deficit and saving a break point when serving for the match at 5-4 in the decider to stun 1st seed Anastasia Gasanova (RUS, 196) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in 2 hours 48 minutes at the USD 30,000 hard-court event in Tunisia. Earlier on Court 1, 3rd seed Vaishnavi Adkar (IND, 365) made it 2 Indians into the singles Round of 16 with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 win over qualifier Anna Shkutova (RUS, 1030).
After seeing an early 3-1 advantage slip to 3-3 in a marathon 3rd set, Rajeshwaran Revathi (IND, 726) broke again in a 12-point 7th game for 4-3 and stepped up to serve for the upset at 5-4. Trailing 0-30 and facing break point at 30-40 against the lone top-200 player in the draw, the teenager erased the break chance and converted her 1st match point to close out an 8th straight pro singles win.
Competing in the 3rd match slot on Court 3 just hours after being awarded a main draw wild card for November’s WTA 250 Chennai Open, Rajeshwaran Revathi (IND, 726) absorbed heavy baseline pressure in a 47-minute opening set where Gasanova (RUS, 196) struck twice on return without facing a break point to take a 6-3 lead. The momentum swung sharply in the 38-minute 2nd set: from 0-1 down, the Indian teenager reeled off 5 consecutive games, breaking to love for 2-1 and breaking again for 4-1 while winning 28 of 39 points to level the contest at 6-2.
1st career top-200 triumph extends Maaya’s winning run to 8 matches
Wednesday’s comeback marks Rajeshwaran Revathi’s 1st victory over a top-200 opponent, eclipsing her breakthrough win over Iryna Shymanovich (BLR, 225) during her semifinal run at the February 2025 WTA 125 Mumbai Open, where she also defeated Zarina Diyas (KAZ, 353) and Mei Yamaguchi (JPN, 285). Gasanova (RUS, 196), a 27-year-old former world No. 121 who upset 1st seed Alison Riske-Amritraj at the 2022 Chennai Open and featured for Rajasthan Rangers in Season 7 of India’s Tennis Premier League last December, entered Monastir as the draw’s top seed by 169 ranking places.
Having arrived in Tunisia fresh off sweeping the singles and doubles titles at ITF W35 Lagos in Portugal and vaulting 347 places in Monday’s singles standings, the Tamil Nadu teenager came through 2 qualifying rounds against Victoire Lansaman (FRA, UNR) 4-6, 6-2, 10-7 and Abigeyle Bhopal (CAN, UNR) 6-1, 6-4 before toppling the top seed to stretch her pro singles winning streak to 8 matches.
- Total Points Won: 93 to 84 in favour of Rajeshwaran Revathi across 177 points played (25-34 in Set 1, 28-11 in Set 2, and 40-39 in Set 3).
- Spotless Set 2 Reset: Held all 4 service games without facing a single break point (0 faced) while winning 71.8% of total points to force a decider.
- Return Pressure & Service Grit: Created 14 break points across Sets 2 and 3 (converting 5 of 14 overall) while holding 10 of 14 service games.
- 83-Minute Deciding Set: Saved a break point at 5-4, 30-40 after trailing 0-30 and converted her 1st match point to seal 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.
| Round | Match | Score | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| R32 | [Q] Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi IND · 726 def. [1] Anastasia Gasanova RUS · 196 | 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 | Saved break point serving at 5-4, 30-40 in Set 3 to win 93-84 on points in 2h 48m |
| R32 | [3] Vaishnavi Adkar IND · 365 def. [Q] Anna Shkutova RUS · 1030 | 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 | Converted 3 of 3 break points without facing a break point in a 34-minute 6-0 3rd set |
Vaishnavi Adkar closes with a 6-0 set as 2 Indians advance to Thursday’s R16
Before Rajeshwaran Revathi completed her upset on Court 3, 21-year-old India No. 1 Vaishnavi Adkar (IND, 365) backed up last week’s runner-up finish at the same venue by overcoming 19-year-old qualifier Anna Shkutova (RUS, 1030) 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 in 1 hour 59 minutes. After splitting 2 tight opening sets lasting 42 and 43 minutes, Adkar shifted gears in a 34-minute decider, winning 26 of 38 points and converting all 3 break-point chances without facing a break point on her own delivery.
Thursday’s schedule rewards Rajeshwaran Revathi (IND, 726) with opening billing on Center Court at 2:00 PM IST against Demi Tran (NED, 636), who rallied past Eleejah Inisan (FRA, 732) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Wednesday. Adkar (IND, 365) follows in the 2nd match slot on Court 2 against 18-year-old Ada Kumru (TUR, 1019) before partnering Tran in the doubles quarterfinals against Abigeyle Bhopal (CAN, 1659) and local entrant Nour Sahnoun (TUN, 1487).
| Round | Match | Court | Scheduled Start Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| R16 | [Q] Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi IND · 726 vs Demi Tran NED · 636 | Center Court | 2:00 PM IST |
| R16 | [3] Vaishnavi Adkar IND · 365 vs Ada Kumru TUR · 1019 | Court 2 | 2nd match after 2:00 PM IST (~3:30 PM IST) |
| QF | [2] Vaishnavi Adkar IND · 302 / Demi Tran NED · 297 vs Abigeyle Bhopal CAN · 1659 / Nour Sahnoun TUN · 1487 | Court 1 | Not before 7:00 PM IST |