21-year-old Indian wild card Vaishnavi Adkar (IND, 344 · UTR 11.10) recorded her 1st career WTA Tour main-draw singles victory on Tuesday at the 2026 WTA 250 Chennai Open, rallying from a set down and 3-5 down in the deciding set to defeat former world No. 85 Jodie Burrage (GBR, 474 · UTR 11.71) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in 2 hours and 44 minutes at the SDAT Tennis Stadium in Nungambakkam.
4-Game Closing Run Seals 1st WTA Tour Win in 2 Hours 44 Minutes
After dropping the opening 6 points of the match to fall behind 0-2 and surrendering a 35-minute 1st set 3-6, Adkar (IND, 344 · UTR 11.10) saved 4 break points in a marathon 22-point hold at 1-1 in Set 2 and raised her 1st-serve percentage to 74% to take the 58-minute 2nd set 6-3. In a dramatic 71-minute decider, the Indian wild card built a 3-1 lead before Burrage (GBR, 474 · UTR 11.71) reeled off 4 straight games to lead 5-3 and serve for the match at 5-4. Trailing 30-0 on Burrage’s serve at 4-5, Adkar won 4 consecutive points to break back for 5-5, broke again for 6-5, and after an extended medical timeout taken by the Briton before the final game, held serve to love to complete a 4-game closing run and seal a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 triumph.
4 straight games from 3-5 down & a love hold after a 6-5 medical timeout
With Burrage serving for the match at 5-4, 30-0 in the 3rd set, Adkar won 12 of the final 16 points of the contest — breaking at 5-4 and 5-5 before using Burrage’s medical timeout at 6-5 to consult her coaches and serve out the match to love.
| Round | Match | Score | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| R32 | [WC] Vaishnavi Adkar (IND, 344 · UTR 11.10) def. Jodie Burrage (GBR, 474 · UTR 11.71) | 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 | Rallied from 3-5 down in Set 3 and converted 7 of 11 break points in 2h 44m. |
“I spoke to the coaches before going on court and I was just like, whatever happens, I just want to be able to say that I am the biggest warrior out there. That is all that was going on in my mind.”
Vaishnavi Adkar · Post-Match Press Conference Q&A
Congratulations on a gritty 3-set victory over Jodie Burrage. Could you share your opening thoughts on how you approached a match of this intensity against a former top-100 player?
I am really happy. I knew that it was a tough match and I had to fight for every point, and I knew I was not going to get any free points because I know she is a good player and she has been top 100. So I just tried to literally give my all in every point that I played, and I think it worked pretty well for me.
Can you sum up the thoughts going through your mind during that extended delay at 6-5 in the 3rd set when you were about to serve for the match and your opponent had to take a medical timeout? How were you mentally at that point — were you practicing or thinking of something specific?
I think it was a good break for me as well, because the match was going very close and it was the 3rd set, so I think both of us were kind of tired. Her taking that medical timeout also gave me some time to recover and also go and talk to my coaches. So I think that really helped me to get that extra time as well, and I think it worked for me too.
It was clear that you were quite nervous at the start — even during the warm-up we felt that nervous energy, and in the 1st 2 games you lost points in a row. What did you tell yourself from the 3rd game onwards when you started hitting and serving much better?
Yeah, I will not deny that I was nervous — I definitely was. But I think as the match progressed, I started feeling much better about my game and I started believing that I can match the level. Once I got into it, I really got into the zone, and I think I was able to stay solid throughout the match.
You were down 3-5 in the final set and she was serving for the match. What was going through your mind at that stage, and how did you stay calm to engineer the comeback?
I think I just told myself to take it 1 point at a time. After every point that I played, my coaches also kept reminding me: whatever the score is, whatever is happening in the match, the point that you are playing, you are only going to think about that point. So just take it 1 point at a time — and that is all I did.
After the setback in the 1st set, how did you recover in Set 2? What worked in your favor and what turned it around?
Yeah, the 1st set was a bit shaky and I wasn’t feeling that great. But then later on I started thinking that I have nothing to lose here, so I just started going for my shots. Once I started getting more points, I started feeling more confident about my game. It also somewhat helped with the self-belief — as I said earlier, I started believing that I can match the level and get even better. So I think I just started going for my shots, and that was the turning point.
This is your 1st WTA Tour-level main-draw win. Does it feel like a monkey is off your shoulders?
Yeah, I mean, definitely — especially after the year that I have been having, this win is the biggest so far, tournament-level-wise. I am really happy about it because coming into this tournament I somewhat had some pressure about the performance; I was really doubting myself and had a lot of other things going on. But as the match progressed, I really hung in there and was really giving it my all. I spoke to the coaches before going on court and I was just like, whatever happens, I just want to be able to say that I am the biggest warrior out there. So that is all that was going on in my mind.
“Later on, I didn’t really think much about the score — at 1 point I didn’t even have the idea that she was actually serving for the match. Just taking it 1 point at a time and being in that zone, I was so locked in.”
In the final set, you led 3-1 and then all of a sudden Jodie found her forehand, started hitting winner after winner, and from 1-3 down she was leading 5-3. When you are in a good position and the opponent suddenly starts hitting winners after winners, what do you tell yourself to stay in the match and keep competing?
Yeah, I think after I was up 3-1 in the 3rd set, she started whacking every ball, and it was really tough because I was trying to process how she is getting that sort of energy in the 3rd set. At the same time, I also sort of had a drop in energy because I was struggling to stay in the longer rallies and my balls also started losing their depth, so it became easier for her to capitalize on those balls. But later on, I didn’t really think much about the score — at 1 point I didn’t even have the idea that she was actually serving for the match. I think just taking it 1 point at a time and being in that zone, I was so locked in.
How does it feel to be back in Chennai? You had a memorable tournament here previously when you qualified for the main draw, and this time you are in the main draw and into Round 2 — how does it feel?
It feels amazing, because I had a good couple of weeks before coming into Chennai. I wouldn’t say I was confident about going deeper into the tournament, but I was definitely feeling good about my game and I was confident that whatever I do on court, I am not going to make it easy for the opponent. So I just wanted to go out there and show everyone here that this is what I am capable of, and just the self-belief that I had really helped me.
In the 1st set, many of your 1st serves didn’t land and Burrage attacked your 2nd serves aggressively. How did you process that during the match, and how do you want to work on that going into the next round?
Yeah, I think it is also the balls — the balls are pretty heavy, and especially with the humidity they get fluffy pretty quick. So it was sort of a struggle to keep going for the serves, and at the same time she was playing really aggressive and attacking every chance that she was getting. For me, it was just important to try and put back an extra ball and keep that pressure on her so that she is not getting any easy points either. That started working for me later on, where I was just trying to stay in the point however I can, because my coach keeps telling me: “Tennis is never black or white, it is always mostly grey.” It doesn’t have to be perfect all the time, so I was just trying to make her play an extra ball, and that is how she also started making a few errors towards the end.
What does this match tell you about your game and your growth as a player compared to where you were at the start of the year?
If I compare myself to how I was 10 months back, I definitely feel more confident, and I feel stronger physically and mentally. I feel like I am in a better place because this year I have had a couple of wins, but I have also had a lot of close losses which have made me realize a lot of things about my game. So the most important thing for me was to just keep working on those things, and it is starting to show in my game because of the work that we have been putting in. So I am really happy with the progress.
Next Round Schedule · Singles Round of 16 & Doubles Round of 16
| Round | Match | Court | Scheduled Start Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singles R16 | [WC] Vaishnavi Adkar (IND, 344 · UTR 11.10) vs. Anastasia Zakharova (107 · UTR 11.98) | SDAT Tennis Stadium | Nov 4–5 · TBA (Star Sports & JioHotstar) |
| Doubles R16 | Vaishnavi Adkar (IND, 359) / Rutuja Bhosale (IND, 290) vs. Madeleine Brooks (GBR, 134) / Amelia Rajecki (GBR, 240) | SDAT Tennis Stadium | Nov 4 · TBA |
