Bengaluru, Feb 19 (.) On a hard court that rewarded first-strike tennis and punished hesitation, Vaishnavi Adkar showed she has both the patience to absorb and the courage to attack.
In a match that swung on belief as much as ball-striking, the Indian rallied past eighth seed Mai Hontama 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 to book her maiden quarterfinal berth at a ITF W100 event here on Thursday.
The opening set belonged to Hontama. On the quick surface, she took time away from Vaishnavi, redirecting pace with crisp groundstrokes and stepping inside the baseline to control exchanges. The 6-2 scoreline reflected her command, as she dictated tempo and kept the Indian scrambling.
But hard courts reward clarity of intent, and Vaishnavi found hers.
In the second set, she stopped reacting and started initiating. She trusted her forehand, committed to deeper returns, and held serve with greater authority. A crucial break midway through the set shifted the momentum, and at 6-4, the contest was reset.
The decider was a test of stamina and nerve. Long rallies, sharp angles, and relentless pace from both players turned it into a physical and mental examination. Vaishnavi earned a match point at 5-4, but Hontama responded with fearless hitting to force a tie-break.
Down 2-5 in the breaker, fatigue began to creep in. The hard court demands explosive movement, and both players had logged serious miles. But this time, Vaishnavi refused to let the moment overwhelm her. Drawing from a recent painful loss in Pune where cramps had denied her despite holding match points, she stayed locked in.
Point by point. No rush. No retreat. She clawed back the deficit, stepped into the court when it mattered most, and sealed the tie-break to complete a stirring 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 comeback.
It is a landmark victory — her first W100 quarterfinal in her maiden main-draw appearance at this level, and likely her first win over a top-250 ranked opponent.
Next up is fourth seed Taylor Preston. Another test on a surface that rewards conviction. On Thursday evening, Vaisnavi proved she has plenty of it.
. . PRS