Vaishnavi Adkar and Rutuja Bhosale became the first all-Indian pair to reach a WTA Tour-level doubles final, beating second seeds Weronika Falkowska of Poland and Alana Smith of the United States 6-2, 2-6, 10-8 in the Chennai Open semi-final on Saturday.
They won the deciding super tie-break after trailing in it, holding their nerve at the end of a match that had swung both ways. The win puts them into a Tour-level final, a first for an all-Indian women's doubles pair.
Sania Mirza won 43 doubles titles in her career but never with an Indian partner. The Uberoi sisters, Shikha and Neha, reached finals in 2005, but Neha represented the United States. Ankita Raina and Karman Thandi won a WTA 125 title in 2018, a level below the main Tour.
A semi-final that swung both ways
Adkar and Bhosale took the first set 6-2, then lost the second 2-6 as the second seeds fought back. The match went to a super tie-break, where the Indian pair came from behind to win 10-8.
The comeback in the tie-break was the decisive moment of the match. Trailing at one stage, they found a way to win the points that mattered and close out the contest.
The road to the semi-final
Adkar and Bhosale had beaten Jodie Burrage and Robin Montgomery 7-5, 6-4 on Friday to reach the semi-final. The straight-sets win set up the meeting with the second seeds.
Also on Saturday, Maaya Rajeshwaran lost 6-3, 6-3 to Montgomery in the singles quarter-finals, ending the Indian interest in the singles draw.
A first for Indian tennis
The final will be a landmark for Indian women's tennis, whatever the result. An all-Indian pair has never before reached a WTA Tour-level doubles final, and the Chennai crowd will have a home pair to support.
For Adkar and Bhosale, the week in Chennai has already made history. The final is a chance to add a title to it.
