Staring at elimination trailing 3-6, 4-5, 15-40 on return, 3rd-seeded Indian Vaidehi Chaudhari (IND, 423) saved 3 match points in a 14-point 10th game and reeled off 5 consecutive points from 2-5 down in the 2nd-set tiebreak to stun 17-year-old 6th seed Tahlia Kokkinis (AUS, 473) 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 in 2 hours and 42 minutes on Friday, booking her spot in Saturday’s singles semifinals at the USD 30,000 Sydney Olympic Park International.
Competing on Court 4 at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre a day after her comeback victory over Japanese qualifier Sera Nishimoto in the Round of 16, the 26-year-old Chaudhari pulled off her 2nd consecutive 3-set escape of the week, finishing dead even with Kokkinis at 100-100 in total points won across 29 regulation games and a 12-point tiebreak.
Chaudhari erases 15-40 and Ad-40 on return in Game 10 before winning 5 straight points in the Set 2 breaker
With Kokkinis serving for a straight-sets win at 6-3, 5-4 and ahead 40-15, Chaudhari wiped out 2 consecutive match points to force deuce, saved a 3rd match point at Ad-40, and converted her 3rd break point of a 14-point marathon game to level at 5-5. Minutes later in the Set 2 tiebreak, after falling behind 0-3, 1-4, and 2-5, the Indian 3rd seed reeled off 5 points in a row to steal the 72-minute set 7-6(5).
Inside Chaudhari’s 162-minute great escape against 6th seed Kokkinis
Kokkinis dictated the early exchanges on Court 4, breaking Chaudhari 3 times in a 49-minute opening set to take a 6-3 lead and surging ahead 5-3 in Set 2. After Chaudhari held to 4-5, the Australian 6th seed stepped up to serve out the quarterfinal and quickly reached 40-15 for double match point.
Refusing to yield from the baseline, Chaudhari saved both match points at 15-40 and 30-40, fended off a 3rd match point at advantage Kokkinis, and finally broke through on her 3rd break chance of the 14-point 10th game to draw even at 5-5. Both players traded another pair of breaks to reach 6-6, where Kokkinis bolted to a 3-0 and 5-2 cushion in the tiebreak—only for Chaudhari to lock down her groundstrokes and rattle off 5 straight points for a 7-5 tiebreak triumph after 1 hour and 12 minutes.
Riding an unmistakable wave of momentum into Set 3, Chaudhari broke Kokkinis in the opening game, saved 2 break points to hold for 2-0, and broke again for a 3-0 lead. She added a 3rd break of serve in the 8th game to seal the deciding set 6-2 in 41 minutes, converting 8 of 15 break points (53.3%) across the match.
In the other quarterfinal featuring Indian-origin talent on Court 8, British top seed Naiktha Bains (GBR, 358), who had cruised through her opening 2 rounds without dropping a set, saved 12 of 18 break points across a 3-hour, 1-minute marathon before falling 3-6, 6-3, 4-6 to 5th seed Hikaru Sato (JPN, 438).
Stat Attack · Vaidehi Chaudhari’s Quarterfinal Escape
- 3 match points saved on return — Chaudhari erased match points at 15-40, 30-40, and Ad-40 with Kokkinis serving at 5-4 in Set 2 before breaking on the 14th point of Game 10.
- 5 straight points from 2-5 down — Trailing 0-3, 1-4, and 2-5 in the Set 2 tiebreak, Chaudhari won 5 consecutive points to capture the 72-minute 2nd set 7-6(5).
- 100–100 in total points & 8 of 15 break points (53.3%) — Both players finished dead even at 100 points won apiece across the 162-minute battle as Chaudhari broke serve 3 times in Set 3 to win 6-2.
| Round | Match | Score | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| QF | [3] Vaidehi Chaudhari IND · 423 def. [6] Tahlia Kokkinis AUS · 473 | 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 | Saved 3 match points at 4-5 in Set 2 in a 2-hour, 42-minute comeback |
| R16 | [3] Vaidehi Chaudhari IND · 423 def. [Q] Sera Nishimoto JPN · 968 | 4-6, 6-2, 3-0 ret. | Converted 5 of 13 break points across 1 hour and 53 minutes |
| R32 | [3] Vaidehi Chaudhari IND · 423 def. Elyse Tse NZL · 851 | 6-3, 6-4 | Converted 5 of 9 break points (55.6%) in 1 hour and 29 minutes |
Chaudhari faces Chinese Taipei’s I-Wen Wan for a place in Sunday’s final
In Saturday’s singles semifinal at Sydney Olympic Park, 3rd seed Vaidehi Chaudhari (IND, 423) will take on unseeded 20-year-old I-Wen Wan (TPE, 828), who advanced to the last 4 without dropping a set after defeating Belle Thompson (AUS, 1084) 6-4, 6-3, Yuno Kitahara (JPN, 681) 6-4, 6-2, and Leyla Britez Risso (PAR, 673) 7-5, 6-3 in 1 hour and 54 minutes on Friday.
| Round | Match | Court | Scheduled Start Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SF | [3] Vaidehi Chaudhari IND · 423 vs I-Wen Wan TPE · 828 | Court 1 | 4:30 AM IST (10:00 AM Local AEDT) |