17-year-old Indian wild card Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi (IND, 669 · UTR 11.15) joined Sania Mirza as only the 2nd Indian woman in history to reach a WTA Tour-level singles quarterfinal on Wednesday night at the 2026 WTA 250 Chennai Open, defeating Polish qualifier Weronika Falkowska (POL, 277 · UTR 11.39) 6-4, 6-3 in 1 hour and 34 minutes at the SDAT Tennis Stadium in Nungambakkam.
Rallying From 2-4 Down in Set 1 & 3-3 in Set 2 to Seal Historic Chennai Open Quarterfinal Berth
Competing 24 hours after her 2-hour, 13-minute Round of 32 comeback over 8th seed Katarzyna Kawa (POL, 122 · UTR 11.45), Rajeshwaran Revathi (IND, 669 · UTR 11.15) overcame an early 2-4 deficit in the 45-minute opening set against Falkowska (POL, 277 · UTR 11.39) by saving a break point at 30-40 in Game 7 and reeling off 4 straight games to take the opener 6-4. In the 49-minute 2nd set, the 17-year-old Coimbatore native broke away from 3-3 by holding at love for 4-3, breaking Falkowska at 40-30 for 5-3, and serving out the match on her 3rd match point to finish with 6 of 7 break points converted (86%) and 6 of 10 break points saved (60%).
Saving break point at 2-4, 30-40 before closing out both sets with late surges
Trailing 2-4 and facing a point for 2-5 in Set 1, Rajeshwaran Revathi saved the break point to hold for 3-4, broke Falkowska twice to claim 4 consecutive games for 6-4, and won the final 3 games from 3-3 in Set 2 while converting 6 of her 7 break opportunities (86%).
| Round | Match | Score | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| R16 | [WC] Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi (IND, 669 · UTR 11.15) def. Weronika Falkowska (POL, 277 · UTR 11.39) | 6-4, 6-3 | Converted 6 of 7 break points (86%) and rallied from 2-4 down in Set 1 in 1h 34m. |
| R32 | [WC] Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi (IND, 669 · UTR 11.15) def. [8] Katarzyna Kawa (POL, 122 · UTR 11.45) | 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(5) | Saved 2 match points at 4-5, 15-40 in Set 3 after trailing 2-5 in 2h 13m. |
“She was really hitting those returns, and I was a little bit hesitant at the start. After some time, I was like, ‘No matter what, I am going to go for it’ — because anyway holding back or being hesitant is not going to help me.”
Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi · Post-Match Press Conference Q&A
You must know now that you are only the 2nd Indian after Sania Mirza to make the WTA Tour-level quarterfinals. Although the match was not as fluent as yesterday, it is a significant achievement for Indian tennis. What are your 1st reactions on that?
1st of all, yeah, happy to get the win. Just like you said, it was not as good as I wanted it to be like yesterday, but still I am happy that I found ways to win. She was not a very easy player to compete against as well with these conditions — she has played quite a few matches here since qualies, and she has been doing very well. So yeah, happy to get the win and on to the next.
People’s attention can be both good and bad — good in the sense that it attracts sponsors to the sport and for yourself, but media attention can also distract. What kind of player are you: someone who enjoys media attention or someone who prefers to keep to herself?
Are there people who like media attention in the 1st place? (Laughs) No, actually the thing is, I think it is part of an athlete’s career at the end of the day. I think there are certain things that need to be done, and it is always happy to get help, it is always happy to get recognition. In a country like India, it is definitely nice to actually have some recognition. And yeah, at the end of the day, I think it comes down to tennis, because if you do well, you are going to get more recognition — I think that is how it works.
Talking about the match, it was a struggle with the serve in the 1st set and parts of the 2nd set before you found your rhythm towards the end. Compared to yesterday, what happened today, and on a day where the serve does not go in early on, what were you telling yourself?
Well, 1st of all, yeah, I did not serve great, but it is also the fact that my opponent was returning better. She was really hitting those returns, she was going for it, and that sort of made me think more, and I think I was a little bit hesitant at the start. But after some time, I was like, “You know, no matter what, I am going to go for it,” because I think that is what I had to do — because anyway holding back or being hesitant is not going to help me. So I was just trying to go for it, I was trying to hit the spots more, trying to get a higher percentage — I was trying to hit more 1st serves in — and yeah, I think that helped me towards the end.
“Although I am from Coimbatore, I have played in Chennai plenty of times, so I have played on these courts plenty of times and it is weather that I am used to playing in. At the end of the day, it comes down to who stays more alive and who fights more.”
Can you talk about the conditions? Although it is very humid, you were moving around well with power in your legs and not giving away points easily. Is this the sort of environment and court surface you enjoy?
I think I am used to playing in these conditions. Although I am from Coimbatore, I have played in Chennai plenty of times, so I have played on these courts plenty of times and it is weather that I am used to playing in. Yeah, it is tough conditions, but it is the same for both the players, right? At the end of the day, it comes down to who stays more alive and who fights more. I am just trying to do that as much as I can — that is what I tried to do yesterday as well — so yeah, as long as it goes my way, I am happy.
In the quarterfinals you are facing a left-handed player in Robin Montgomery. What kind of challenge does that bring to you, and how often in your young career have you faced left-handed players?
Well, there are not many on tour, to be honest! She has been playing really great, she is a very good player to play against, and it is just another opportunity for me to step on court and play good tennis. I think that is how it is going to be for now. And yeah, tomorrow is doubles, so I am going to train, play, and see how it goes.
Has your coaching team talked about keeping the focus off milestones and staying grounded as the tournament progresses?
Yes, we do not put pressure on achieving milestones, because just like I said, at the end of the day it comes down to tennis. So you keep improving, you keep working on what you have to, and I think matches and wins are going to follow. That is what we have been trying to do the last few months, and it is helping us.
Next Round Schedule · Doubles Round of 16 & Singles Quarterfinal
| Round | Match | Court | Scheduled Start Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doubles R16 | Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty (IND, 434) / Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi (IND, 815) vs. Aneta Kucmova (CZE, 108) / Aneta Laboutkova (CZE, 115) | SDAT Tennis Stadium | Nov 5 · 4:30 PM IST |
| Singles QF | [WC] Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi (IND, 669 · UTR 11.15) vs. Robin Montgomery (USA, 151 · UTR 12.15) | SDAT Tennis Stadium | Nov 6 · 10:00 AM IST |
