While names like Sania Mirza and Sania Nehwal are known to the world the Indian tennis industry is filled with several other successful women who remain unnoticed out to the world. Below are some of the women tennis trailblazers whose success and contribution to the sport has remain underrated.
1. Ankita Raina
Following in the footsteps of Sania Mirza, Ankita Raina’s growth was a slow yet steady race. She is the sixth player in women’s tennis to enter the WTA Top-200 ranking (in March 2020, with a rank of 160). She also made it to the top 100 in the doubles in 2025 after winning the Philip Island Trophy, which was her first tour-level trophy in the WTA.
Ankita made her Grand Slam main draw debut in the doubles event at the Australian Open 2021 alongside Romania’s Mihaela Buzarnescu. She missed on the singles event, though, but became the third Indian woman tennis player, after Nirupama Sanjeev and Sania Mirza, to feature in a main draw event.
After the Australian Open followed her participation at the French Open and Wimbledon in the singles main draws.
2. Rutuja Bhosale
Known for her competitive spirit in the field of Indian tennis, Rutuja is a player that aims to inspire the young generation on how to keep a balance in academics and sports.
She has several ITF titles in singles and doubles in her name and has represented India in the Fed Cup. She participated in the 2022 Asian Games and won the gold medal in the mixed doubles event.
This year, she participated in the W50 Lopota ITF Women’s doubles event alongside New Zealand partner Paige Mary Hourigan. The duo won the finals, defeating India’s Shrivalli Rashmikka Bhamidipaty and Alexandra Shubladze in straight sets of 6-3, 6-2.
3. Karman Kaur Thandi
The tennis player has had immense success on the international stage. She has the potential to take women’s tennis towards immense growth. Her achievements include several ITF singles and doubles titles and a Fed Cup appearance, and she has been ranked in the top 200 of the WTA rankings.
She aims to inspire the next generation of female players to dream higher. She last played in the WTA 125K Jingshan Tennis Open quarter-finals of the women’s singles and doubles events on September 22 and 24, respectively.
4. Sahaja Yamalapalli
Started playing at the age of 10, Sahaja’s passion for tennis grew after she visited the Saroornagar Stadium in Hyderabad and saw the tennis courts, which made her fall in love with the sport. Her journey to become India’s No. 1 women’s tennis player shows her relentless effort, dedication, and passion towards the sport. She has been a player who prioritizes fitness.
Her current women’s singles ranking by WTA is 346. She last participated in the ITF W50 Rancho Santa Fe, CA, Women, which she lost against the USA’s Louisa Chirico by sets of 0-2, 5-7, and 3-6.
5. Vaidehi Chaudhari
The 25-year-old Vaidehi Chaudhari, with a current WTA singles ranking of 522, is a two-time Indian National champion. Despite the on-court success, Vaidehi was left with financial challenges to cover her tennis expenses, but the Gujarat State sports authority came in to help her with the travelling expenses. The rest she earned through game participation.
She recently won the women’s singles event at the Fenesta Open National tennis championship in New Delhi on October 5, 2025. She defeated 15-year-old Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi by two sets of 6-3, 6-3.
Inputs sourced from [WTA, ITF]
