At the WTA 125 L&T Mumbai Open this week, the largest professional women's tennis tournament in India, a 15-year-old local schoolgirl has announced herself as one of the most promising talents her country has seen for many years.
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Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi, a Top 60 junior, started the week as a qualifying wild card. Unranked and contesting just her fifth professional event, making the main draw was noteworthy. But that wasn't enough for Rajeshwaran Revathi. She's defeated Iryna Shymanovich, former Top 50 player Zarina Diyas (via retirement) and Mei Yamaguchi to go all the way to the semifinals. She will take on No. 5 seed Jil Teichmann on Saturday. Rajeshwaran Revathi is the first player born in 2009 to make this stage of a main draw at this level.
"All of this is a bit new to me," Rajeshwaran Revathi told wtatennis.com after beating Yamaguchi.
That's an understatement. Before this week, she had never faced a Top 300 player, and the best players she had even practiced with were top juniors. But she's been able to impose powerful groundstrokes on older, more experienced opponents with ease.
"I've always been aggressive, ever since I picked up a racquet," Rajeshwaran Revathi said. "That wasn't so long ago: she first started tennis as an after-school extra sport at the age of eight. It was only when she was 10 years old that she decided she wanted to pursue it professionally.
This week may be her breakout tournament, but Rajeshwaran Revathi's talent hasn't gone unnoticed. At the end of last year, she decided that she would need to base herself outside India in order to maximize her potential. After a week at the Rafa Nadal Academy on Mallorca, she was offered a yearlong contract to train there, and she will move to the Spanish island this month.
Watching Nadal's famously intense practice sessions has been an origin story for many an aspiring pro, and Rajeshwaran Revathi was privileged enough to witness one of the last ones as the 22-time major champion prepared for his final tournament at last year's Davis Cup Finals.
"It's one of my most favorite memories," she said. "Even a man that's won so much, he's still got that hunger and that's really impressive."
Rajeshwaran Revathi has brought a similar intensity to Mumbai this week, where she has won three out of three deciding sets so far.
"One thing I was happy about is that I did maintain a good level throughout the matches," she said. "That's something I've been working on because earlier, I used to have a lot of ups and downs.
"I've played so many three sets in the last few months, and I won most of them. If I'm in the third set I do have a very different mindset. Even if I've lost the second, I'll be able to reset. In all of [my three-setters this week] I took the first, lost the second and won the third."
Only one Indian player has ever cracked the Top 100 of the PIF WTA Rankings -- Sania Mirza, who peaked at No. 27 in 2007, went on to become the doubles World No. 1 and retired in 2023. The trailblazing champion, who captured six Grand Slam doubles titles, has been an inspiration to Rajeshwaran Revathi for as long as she can remember.
"If you say you're a tennis player in India, it's her name that always pops up in response," she said. "It's her I've always looked up to as an Indian athlete."
Mirza led the way, and now it's Rajeshwaran Revathi who is able to state her ambitions in the sport clearly and with no hesitation.
"Win Slams and end up as World No. 1," she said. "That's where it all ends."
Quick hits with Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi
Goals for 2025: "To do well in the junior Slams -- I'll be playing the main draws for the first time. But since I'll be Top 700 [after Mumbai] I'll have play some women's ITFs too. I'm making the transition [from juniors] a bit quicker than I thought."
Favorite school subject: "History, definitely. For now, Indian history. India is a land of culture and I've always been interested. But I'll be starting world history next month."
Favorite off-court pastime: "I live in the city [Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu], but if you drive for some time outside there are so many mountains that I love to trek in. It takes my mind off the city life I'm in. It's something very peaceful to do."
