India’s campaign at the USD 30,000 ITF W35 Monastir tournament in Tunisia concluded in the singles quarterfinals on Friday, October 23, as 17-year-old qualifier Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi (IND, 726) saw 6 game points and 2 break points slip away in a 47-minute opening set before falling 1-6, 0-6 in 1 hour and 24 minutes to 8th seed Tiphanie Lemaitre (FRA, 463), while a fatigued 3rd seed Vaishnavi Adkar (IND, 365) bowed out 0-6, 1-6 in 56 minutes against 5th seed Elena Milovanovic (SRB, 422).
Competing on the outdoor hard courts of the Magic Hotel Skanes Family complex a day after both Indian contenders stormed into the top-half quarterfinals, Friday’s losses brought an end to Rajeshwaran Revathi’s 9-match professional singles winning streak across Nigeria and Tunisia and capped Adkar’s 8-match, 10-day North African swing that yielded a W35 runner-up trophy and back-to-back quarterfinal appearances.
Rajeshwaran Revathi lets 6 game points and 2 break points slip across 3 marathon deuce games against Lemaitre
After holding serve from 15-30 down to lead 1-0, Rajeshwaran Revathi held 3 game points at Ad-40 in a 14-point, 4-deuce 3rd game for 2-1, held another 3 game points from 40-15 and Ad-40 in a 14-point, 4-deuce 5th game for 2-3, and then earned 2 break points at 40-30 and Ad-40 in a 10-point 6th game. Lemaitre survived all 3 deuce battles to turn a balanced 38-point stretch into a 5-1 cushion.
7 of 13 games go to deuce as Lemaitre halts Maaya Revathi’s 9-match winning streak
Playing her 5th match in 5 days in Monastir—having battled through 2 qualifying rounds before stunning top-200 1st seed Anastasia Gasanova (RUS, 196) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in Wednesday’s 2-hour, 48-minute opener and routing Demi Tran (NED, 636) 6-3, 6-0 on Thursday—17-year-old Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi (IND, 726) went toe-to-toe from the baseline with 26-year-old French 8th seed Tiphanie Lemaitre (FRA, 463) in a quarterfinal far closer than the final score indicated.
Rajeshwaran Revathi opened the match by recovering from 15-30 down to hold for 1-0, and the next 5 games turned into a grueling 42-minute tug-of-war. At 1-1, the teenager from Tamil Nadu saved a break point at 30-40 and created 3 separate game points at advantage across a 14-point, 4-deuce 3rd game before Lemaitre converted her 2nd break chance for 2-1. After pushing Lemaitre to deuce in an 8-point 4th game, Rajeshwaran Revathi built a 40-15 lead in the 5th game and held a 3rd game point at Ad-40 across another 14-point, 4-deuce marathon, saving 2 break points before the French 8th seed broke on her 3rd opportunity for 4-1. Rajeshwaran Revathi immediately engineered 2 break points of her own at 40-30 and Ad-40 in a 10-point 6th game, but Lemaitre erased both to hold for 5-1 and broke again in Game 7 to seal the 47-minute 1st set 6-1.
Even in the 37-minute 2nd set, Rajeshwaran Revathi forced deuce in each of the final 3 games—including a 10-point closing game at 0-5 where she saved 2 match points from 15-40 down and earned a game point at Ad-40 before Lemaitre clinched her 3rd match point. Across the 84-minute contest (averaging 6.5 minutes per game), 7 of the 13 games went to deuce as Lemaitre won 65 of 104 total points (62.5%), saved both break points she faced, and converted 6 of 13 break points while Rajeshwaran Revathi saved 7 of 13 break chances (53.8%).
Milovanovic stops weary 3rd seed Vaishnavi Adkar in rematch of Sunday’s Monastir final
In the 2nd quarterfinal in the top half of the draw, 21-year-old India No. 1 and 3rd seed Vaishnavi Adkar (IND, 365) met 25-year-old Serbian 5th seed Elena Milovanovic (SRB, 422) in a rematch of last Sunday’s W35 Monastir singles final, which Milovanovic had won 6-3, 7-5 in 2 hours and 10 minutes. Whereas Milovanovic entered Friday having spent just 66 minutes on court in her 6-1, 6-0 Round of 16 win on Thursday, Adkar was contesting her 8th singles match in 10 days in Tunisia after spending 4 hours and 35 minutes on court across back-to-back 3-set victories over Anna Shkutova (RUS, 1030) in Wednesday’s Round of 32 (1 hour and 59 minutes) and Ada Kumru (TUR, 1019) in Thursday’s Round of 16 (2 hours and 36 minutes, where Adkar saved 15 of 20 break points).
The physical toll showed early as Milovanovic swept the 26-minute opening set 6-0, breaking Adkar in Game 2, recovering from 40-30 down to break at deuce in an 8-point 4th game, and breaking again at 30-40 in Game 6. Adkar got on the board in the 2nd game of Set 2 by holding serve to 15 for 1-1 and pushed the Serbian 5th seed to deuce on return in an 8-point 3rd game, but Milovanovic held and reeled off the final 5 games in 30 minutes to complete a 6-0, 6-1 victory in 56 minutes, winning 51 of 70 total points (72.9%) and converting 5 of 6 break points.
Stat Attack · Inside Friday’s Quarterfinals & 2-Week Tunisia Swing
- 84 minutes for 13 games (6.5 minutes per game) — In Rajeshwaran Revathi’s quarterfinal against 8th seed Lemaitre, 7 of the 13 games went to deuce across 104 total points (65-39), with the 17-year-old Indian saving 7 of 13 break points (53.8%) and 2 match points.
- 6 missed game points in 2 14-point Set 1 marathons — Rajeshwaran Revathi held 3 game points at Ad-40 in Game 3 (at 1-1) and 3 more from 40-15 and Ad-40 in Game 5 (at 1-3) before earning 2 break points in Game 6.
- 15 combined singles wins ahead of WTA 250 Chennai — Rajeshwaran Revathi compiled a 9-1 singles record across W35 Lagos and W35 Monastir, while Adkar went 6-2 across back-to-back W35 Monastir weeks to climb to a career-high ranking of 365 as India’s No. 1 women’s singles player.
| Round | Match | Score | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| QF | [8] Tiphanie Lemaitre FRA · 463 def. [Q] Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi IND · 726 | 6-1, 6-0 | 7 of 13 games went to deuce across 1 hour and 24 minutes as 6 Set 1 game points slipped away |
| R16 | [Q] Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi IND · 726 def. Demi Tran NED · 636 | 6-3, 6-0 | Won 9 consecutive games from 2-3 down & captured 58 of 89 total points (65.2%) in 1 hour and 3 minutes |
| R32 | [Q] Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi IND · 726 def. [1] Anastasia Gasanova RUS · 196 | 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 | Saved break point at 5-4, 30-40 in Set 3 to seal her 1st top-200 win in 2 hours and 48 minutes |
| Q2 | [6] Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi IND · 726 def. [14] Abigeyle Bhopal CAN · UNR | 6-1, 6-4 | Booked main-draw berth in straight sets in final qualifying round |
| Q1 | [6] Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi IND · 726 def. Victoire Lansaman FRA · UNR | 4-6, 6-2, 10-7 | Rallied from a set down to win the deciding match tiebreak 10-7 |
| Round | Match | Score | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| QF | [5] Elena Milovanovic SRB · 422 def. [3] Vaishnavi Adkar IND · 365 | 6-0, 6-1 | Milovanovic converted 5 of 6 break points in 56 minutes in Adkar’s 8th match in 10 days |
| R16 | [3] Vaishnavi Adkar IND · 365 def. Ada Kumru TUR · 1019 | 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 | Saved 15 of 20 break points (75.0%)—including 3 from 0-40 at 4-3 in Set 3—in 2 hours and 36 minutes |
| 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 deciding set |
Adkar and Rajeshwaran Revathi head home for WTA 250 Chennai Open main draw
Both Indian quarterfinalists now fly back to India to headline the home contingent at next week’s USD 275,094 WTA 250 Chennai Open (October 26 to November 1, 2026) at the SDAT Tennis Stadium in Nungambakkam, where Adkar (IND, 365) and 17-year-old Tamil Nadu local favorite Rajeshwaran Revathi (IND, 726) have been awarded main-draw singles wild cards alongside India No. 2 Sahaja Yamalapalli (IND, 378).