Tennis: 15-year-old Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi’s impressive run in Mumbai Open ends with semifinal defeat and promise of a bright future

“Today was not arsenic bully arsenic I’d hoped it to be, but inactive blessed with a bully week,” Maaya said successful a little on-court interrogation earlier walking disconnected to a steadfast circular of applause. There was appreciation from the hostile too. “The effect mightiness look easier than the lucifer was, I americium truly blessed with that win. It’s a precise bully week for her. She’s precise young, and has a batch of power, she has a bully aboriginal if she keeps moving connected her game, conscionable a fewer things present and there. But a superb talent,” Teichmann said.

Maaya trained astatine Rafael Nadal’s academy successful Mallorca astatine the extremity of past year, and according to WTA, the Indian youngster has been offered a yearlong declaration to bid determination and volition determination to Spain this month. She recalled watching the Spanish fable drain for his farewell lawsuit astatine the Davis Cup: “It’s 1 of my astir favourite memories. Even a antheral that’s won truthful much, he’s inactive got that hunger and that’s truly impressive.”

In the semifinals, Maaya started tentatively, losing service doubly and going down 0-4. But erstwhile she got her footing successful the set, she started pushing Teichmann much frequently, with a sting successful her groundstrokes that made the Swiss subordinate enactment hard to enactment successful points. Maaya got connected the committee successful the archetypal acceptable by breaking Teichmann’s service and past held service for the archetypal clip too, to get the assemblage going.

The Indian youngster had a breakpoint successful the seventh crippled to bring the acceptable backmost successful service but Teichman forced a deuce. Then came different breakpoint accidental with what was till past the constituent of the nighttime arsenic Maya nailed a backhand victor that had Teichmann scrambling astatine the baseline. Eventually though, Teichmann crushed retired a pugnacious work clasp to support her advantage. Maaya stayed live successful the archetypal acceptable with her champion work crippled of the nighttime yet, holding astatine 15, including a delicious driblet changeable victor from the baseline. It ensured that Teichmann would person to service retired the set, but the 27-year-old managed to bash truthful with comparative ease.

Despite immoderate momentum towards the extremity of the archetypal set, the 2nd acceptable didn’t commencement good for Maaya arsenic she dropped service erstwhile much contempt a 30-0 lead. It turned retired to beryllium a akin communicative to the opening acceptable arsenic Maaya went for an assertive crosscourt backhand that sailed wide and she was down by 2 breaks again. But arsenic it tends to hap successful tennis, the scoreboard unit started having an interaction connected Maaya, who continued to deed the shot with an assertive intent but was incapable to wrestle backmost capable inaugural from her opponent. A deuce crippled connected service from Maaya pushed her to the limits, but she came done to guarantee astatine slightest she won’t beryllium bagelled successful the 2nd set. Teichmann continued to enactment beardown connected serve, going up 5-1 with a emotion hold. With a inside-out forehand victor down Maaya’s forehand side, Teichmann broke service for the 5th clip connected the nighttime and closed out

After her groundbreaking week, determination is bound to beryllium a definite level of involvement successful seeing however her vocation unfolds for a state starved of sustained tennis occurrence successful singles. Maaya told WTA that her contiguous extremity is to bash good successful the inferior Slams successful 2025. “I’ll beryllium playing the main draws for the archetypal time. But since I’ll beryllium Top 700 [after Mumbai] I’ll person to play immoderate women’s ITFs too. I’m making the modulation [from juniors] a spot quicker than I thought.” She besides said that she has ever looked up to Sania Mirza, who erstwhile broke into the apical 30 successful the world.

It’s a agelong mode to spell for the miss from Coimbatore, who loves studying history, but she has shown immoderate promising signs successful Mumbai. Her ambition? “Win Slams and extremity up arsenic World No. 1. That’s wherever it each ends.”

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