3 Indian women tennis players to win USA pro titles ft. Sania Mirza

Three Indian women's tennis players have made history by winning USA Pro titles. Women’s tennis has been on the rise in recent years in India, with a new generation of talented players making their mark on the international scene.

One of the most significant milestones in a tennis player's career is winning a professional title in the United States. For a country like India, winning an important title like this acts as a big source of motivation and confidence for the women tennis players.

On that note, let’s take a look at the three Indian women who made history by securing USA pro titles.

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#3 Sania Mirza

Sania Mirza (Image via Getty)

In 2004, Sania Mirza became the first Indian woman to win a professional title in the USA, defeating Cory Ann Avants of the USA 6-2, 6-3 in the finals of the Boca Raton Classic Women's ITF tennis tournament in Florida. This victory marked the seventh international title and the first title in the USA for the then-17-year-old Mirza.

Earlier in the tournament, Mirza upset Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa 6-2, 7-6, winning the tiebreaker 7-3 to reach the finals.

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#2 Karman Kaur Thandi

Karman Kaur Thandi after winning the ITF W60 Evansville (Image via Karman Kaur Thandi/X)

Nearly two decades later, Karman Kaur Thandi followed in Mirza's footsteps, becoming only the second Indian woman to win a USA pro title. In 2023, Thandi clinched the singles title of the ITF W60 Evansville held at Evansville, USA, defeating Yuliia Starodubtseva of Ukraine 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 in the final.

Thandi began her campaign by defeating Maria Fernanda Navarro of Mexico in Round 1 and followed it with a win over Maribella Zamarippa of the United States in Round 2. She then defeated wild card entrant Allie Kiick of the United States 6-3, 6-3 in straight sets in the quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, Thandi overcame Mccartney Kessler of the United States 6-4, 7-5 to reach the final.

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#1 Sahaja Yamalapalli

Sahaja Yamalapalli wins the SoCal Pro Series (Image via ustasocal/IG)

In July 2024, Sahaja Yamalapalli became the third Indian woman to win an ITF USA Pro title, clinching the honors in the SoCal Pro Series at the W15 Los Angeles. Yamalapalli defeated USA's Amy Zhu 6-4, 7-6 (4) in the final, capping off a remarkable week where she did not drop a single set.

Sahaja, who always dreamt of being a top-10 college tennis player, defeated a top-10 ranked Rachel Gailis of the USA in the semis to make her way into the finals.