Who is Vaishnavi Adkar? 21-year-old makes history as first Indian woman in W100 singles final since Sania Mirza

Indian tennis is celebrating a breakthrough moment as 21-year-old Vaishnavi Adkar etched her name into the record books by becoming the first Indian woman since 2009 to reach the singles final of a W100 event.

Adkar finished runner-up at the ITF Women’s Open in Bengaluru after falling to world No. 124 Hanne Vandewinkel in a one-sided final on Sunday. The Belgian sealed a dominant 6-0, 6-1 victory over Adkar, who entered the tournament ranked No. 690 in the world. While Vandewinkel earned 100 WTA ranking points along with $15, 239, Adkar gained 65 WTA ranking points and $8,147.

“It was a bit of an unknown coming into the match, but I knew she beat some really good players, so I was very aware of that. I didn’t want to make the mistake of not being fully there in the match because I saw the last few matches she could play some really good tennis," Vandewinkel said after the match.

Who is Vaishnavi Adkar?

Born on December 14, 2004, in Pune, Adkar began playing tennis at the age of seven. Over the years, she steadily climbed the ranks, achieving an impressive ITF junior ranking of No. 115 and becoming India’s No. 1 Under-14 player.

Her 2025 season proved especially remarkable. She won the Fenesta Women’s Nationals and secured a bronze medal at the 2025 World University Games, India’s first medal at the event in 46 years.

Interestingly, Adkar, a 21-year-old from Pune entered the game as a wildcard. Entering the Bengaluru W100 as a wildcard, Adkar scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the singles final of a W100 or higher event since Sania Mirza accomplished the feat in 2009. Along the way, she defeated established names including Thailand’s Lanlana Tararudee, Japan’s Mai Hontama and Australia’s Taylah Preston.

Trained under coach Kedar Shah at the Bounce Tennis Academy and mentored by Grand Slam champion Rohan Bopanna, she credited her composure, powerful backhand and a "secret strategy" for her success at the event.

“It was a very solid week for me, learned a lot of things and especially after a tough year last year, a week like this is really going to be helpful. I already feel so much better about my game and it has helped a lot with the self-belief and confidence," she said about her time at the games.

Her performances have propelled her live ranking up by 224 places to around World No. 466, marking a major leap in her young career. Now, she is expecting to make it to the team for the Fed Cup coming up in April. “That has been one of my goals for a few years now. So hopefully, I do get in this time,” she added.