Who is Maaya Rajeshwaran? Everything you need to know about India’s rising tennis sensation

In a sport where experience frequently trumps youthful exuberance, 15-year-old Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi has defied expectations with her fearless performances at the WTA 125 event in Mumbai. Maaya has demonstrated a level of confidence and composure that is unusual for someone playing only her fifth senior tournament. The WTA 125 is the second-highest level of women's professional tennis, just below the WTA Tour.

The Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association awarded a qualifying wildcard to Maaya, who stunned the tennis world by defeating World No. 264 Nicole Fossa Huergo of Italy (6-3, 3-6, 6-0) and World No. 434 Jessica Failla of the United States (7-6(9), 1-6, 6-4). With these victories, she became the youngest Indian to score a WTA point.

Her impressive run continued in the main draw, where she defeated World No. 225 Iryna Shymanovich from Belarus in straight sets(6-4, 6-1). Maaya Rajeshwaran's aggressive playing style, inspired by legends such as Serena Williams and Aryna Sabalenka, distinguishes her from the competition.

Whether dominating baseline rallies or finishing at the net, Maaya Rajeshwaran has demonstrated remarkable maturity in developing her game against far more experienced opponents.

---

Maaya Rajeshwaran's journey from Coimbatore to the global stage

Maaya Rajeshwaran began playing tennis after school in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu when she was eight. She was initially coached by former India No. 1 K.G. Ramesh before joining the Pro Serve Tennis Academy, where she has been training under Manoj Kumar for the past five years.

Her rise in Indian tennis has been nothing short of incredible. The Australian Open organizers invited her to compete in an Under-14 event played alongside the Grand Slam in 2023. A year later, she made her junior Grand Slam debut in Melbourne, solidifying her status as one of India's most promising young athletes.

Maaya's rapid rise continued on the national and international junior circuits. In October, she competed as a qualifier at the Senior National Championships and finished second.

She then won her biggest title to date, the J300 event in Delhi, earning her sixth singles title and propelling her into the Top 60 of the ITF Junior Rankings. With this ranking boost, she is well-positioned to compete in the remaining junior Grand Slams this season.

Maaya took her career to the next level by earning the prestigious opportunity to train at the Rafa Nadal Academy, run by the 22-time Grand Slam champion himself.

Maaya has been offered a full scholarship to attend the academy in Mallorca. While she has already spent some time training there, she will officially relocate following the Mumbai Open, where she continues to make waves in Indian tennis.