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Vaishnavi Adkar and Rutuja Bhosale make history, reaching Chennai Open doubles final
The home pair beat second seeds Weronika Falkowska and Alana Smith in a super tie-break, the first time two Indians have reached a doubles final on the main WTA Tour.
Key points
- Vaishnavi Adkar and Rutuja Bhosale are the first all-Indian pair in a WTA Tour doubles final.
- They beat second seeds Falkowska and Smith 6-2, 2-6, 10-8 in the semi-final on Saturday.
- Sania Mirza won 43 doubles titles but never with an Indian partner.
Vaishnavi Adkar and Rutuja Bhosale became the first all-Indian pair to reach a WTA Tour doubles final on Saturday, beating second seeds Weronika Falkowska of Poland and Alana Smith of the United States 6-2, 2-6, 10-8 in the semi-final of the Chennai Open.
The result is a first at the main-tour level of women’s tennis. Shikha Uberoi and her sister Neha reached the finals of the 2005 Sunfeast Open and the Guangzhou Open, but Neha played for the United States, which made them an Indo-American pairing. Sania Mirza won 43 doubles titles in her career without ever partnering an Indian in them.
How the match went
The home pair controlled the first set. Adkar broke in the third game by attacking Smith’s second serve with a fierce return that Falkowska could not put back. Bhosale held, then converted a second break chance with a forehand return to build a double-break lead, and the set was over without much resistance.
The second seeds came back in the second. The Indians missed chances to break in the third and fifth games, and Adkar dropped her serve at love in the sixth after two double faults. She took a medical timeout for her strapped left thigh, and Bhosale then came under pressure on serve as the Polish-American pair levelled at one set each.
In the super tie-break Falkowska and Smith raced to 3-0, and the Indians slipped to 6-8 after a Bhosale double fault. She answered with a forehand winner past Smith. Adkar then produced a winning volley to earn match point and sealed the win with a forehand down the line.
What it means
The level below the main tour has seen Indian pairs do well before. Ankita Raina and Karman Thandi won a WTA 125 doubles title in 2018, and Prarthna Thombare has reached three WTA 125 finals, all with the Dutch player Arianne Hartono.
Adkar and Bhosale now play for the Chennai Open title. The tournament, a WTA 250 event at the SDAT Tennis Stadium, has already seen wild card Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi, 17, reach the singles quarter-finals before losing to Robin Montgomery.