Vaishnavi Adkar Makes History At ITF W100; Becomes First Indian After Sania Mirza To...

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Last Updated:February 21, 2026, 21:51 IST

Vaishnavi Adkar reached her first ITF W100 singles final in Bengaluru, defeating Lanlana Tararudee. She is the first Indian since Sania Mirza to achieve this at W100 or higher.

Wild card Vaishnavi Adkar delivered the performance of her young career on Saturday, reaching her first-ever singles final at an ITF W100 event with a commanding straight-sets win over Thailand’s Lanlana Tararudee.

The 21-year-old from Pune, ranked 690 in the world, stunned the second seed and World No. 126, 6-3, 6-3 in the semifinals in Bengaluru — becoming the first Indian since Sania Mirza to reach a singles final at an ITF W100 or higher tournament.

Adkar’s run has been nothing short of remarkable, with two top-150 scalps en route to the title clash.

🇮🇳 Vaishnavi Adkar Ends a 17-Year-Long WaitThe 21-year-old from Pune becomes the first Indian woman since the one and only Sania Mirza to reach the singles final of a W100 event or higher, by advancing to the final of the ITF W100 Bengaluru

Adkar has put together an incredible… pic.twitter.com/OUE56hJVPD

— Indian Tennis Daily (ITD) (@IndTennisDaily) February 21, 2026

“I’m still trying to process that I’m going to be playing the final tomorrow. Getting on to the court, I wasn’t really thinking much about the result or how it’s going to go, I just wanted to take it one point at a time is what I’ve done," said Adkar.

Calm, Clinical, Confident

The semifinal began evenly before Adkar struck first in the seventh game, her deep returns forcing errors to secure the crucial break. Growing in confidence, she attacked the net and closed out the first set with authority.

In the second, she responded immediately after being broken back, ripping backhand winners to reclaim control at 4-2. Calm under pressure, she saved a tricky deuce game with a forehand winner and sealed victory in the ninth game, fittingly, with another confident forehand.

In the other semifinal, Belgium’s Hanne Vandewinkel defeated Polina Iatcenko 6-4, 7-6(5) to book her place in the final.

Earlier, Japan’s Misaki Matsuda and Eri Shimizu clinched the doubles title, beating Priska Madelyn Nugroho and Ankita Raina 6-4, 3-6, 10-5.

(with PTI inputs)

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First Published:

February 21, 2026, 21:51 IST

News sports tennis Vaishnavi Adkar Makes History At ITF W100; Becomes First Indian After Sania Mirza To...

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