Vaishnavi Adkar-Rutuja Bhosale Create History

India’s Vaishnavi Adkar and Rutuja Bhosale created history at the Chennai Open by becoming the first Indian pair to reach a doubles final at the WTA Tour level. In a closely contested women’s doubles semifinal on Saturday, the Indian duo defeated second seeds Veronika Falkowska of Poland and Alena Smith of the United States 6-2, 2-6, 10-8 in a match tie-break. Adkar and Bhosale dominated the opening set, capitalising on their opponents’ errors to take a 4-1 lead before closing it out 6-2.

However, the Indian pair struggled in the second set, allowing Falkowska and Smith to level the match with a 6-2 win. The contest then went into a deciding tie-break, where Adkar and Bhosale held their nerve to secure a 10-8 victory and book their place in the final. Indian tennis legend Sania Mirza won 43 doubles titles during her career, but all her partners in those triumphs were foreign players. Adkar and Bhosale’s achievement marks a significant milestone for Indian women’s doubles tennis.