Maaya Rajeshwaran Stuns Fourth Seed Kumru in ITF J300 Thriller

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Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi, a 15-year-old tennis sensation from Coimbatore, delivered a stunning performance at the ITF J300 tournament in New Delhi. On Tuesday, she defeated world number 60 Ada Kumru of Turkiye in the girls' singles opening round.

She had a commanding 6-1, 7-6(1) victory. Ranked 139 globally, Maaya's court coverage and shot selection proved decisive against the fourth-seeded Kumru. Despite a significant ranking gap, the Indian youngster maintained composure.

She withstood a strong fightback in the second set to seal her place in the pre-quarterfinals. Her triumph came on a day of surprises, as top seed Yoana Konstantinova also suffered a shock defeat, losing to unranked Japanese player Naito 6-3, 6-1.

Maaya's impressive win sees her join compatriots Rishitha Reddy Basireddy and Aishwarya Jadhav in the singles pre-quarterfinals. Maaya recently joined the Rafael Nadal Academy, a move that seems to have bolstered her game significantly.

"Her court awareness and tactical play today were remarkable. This win is a testament to her growth as a player," an observer at the tournament commented. The girls' singles event brought joy for India.

However, the boys' tournament was less favorable. Aarjun Pandit, pitted against top seed Daniel Tazabekov, managed only two games before exiting 6-0, 6-2. Sehaj Singh Pawar and Arjun Rathi also fell short in their matches.

Arjun Rathi showed resilience, stretching Latvia's Arturs Zagras to a second-set tiebreak before succumbing 3-6, 6-7(3). Meanwhile, Japan's Kanata Ozaki created another upset, defeating Turkiye's third seed Haydar Cem Gokipnar 6-4, 6-3. Maaya's victory, however, remains the highlight of day two.