Cannes, often associated with the glamour of its celebrated film festival, has a new sporting story to tell Indian audiences. This time, the spotlight is on tennis prodigy Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi, whose breakthrough performance in Portugal has marked a significant milestone in Indian women’s tennis. At 17 years and three months, Maaya became the youngest Indian woman to win a professional singles title at the ITF W35 level, completing a remarkable singles and doubles triumph at Lagos on Sunday.
The Coimbatore-born youngster defeated Spain’s seventh-seeded Celia Cervino Ruiz 6-4, 6-2 in the singles final, capping a campaign in which she did not drop a set. Partnering Ukraine’s Yelyzaveta Kotliar, she also secured the doubles title, making it a memorable week on the professional circuit. Her singles achievement surpassed the previous age mark associated with Sania Mirza, underlining the significance of the teenager’s breakthrough. Sources: India Today and Indian Tennis Daily.
Maaya’s title run was built on resilience as much as technical ability. Having progressed through qualifying, she faced top seed Justina Mikulskyte of Lithuania in the opening round. The Indian teenager found herself trailing 0-5 in the first set, a deficit that could have ended her challenge before it gathered momentum. Instead, she turned the contest around by concentrating on the next point rather than the scoreline.
“I looked at the clock and it was I think 25 minutes into the match, and the first thing that came to my mind was, I’m not losing a set in 25 minutes,” said Maaya with a chuckle. She fought back to take the opening set 7-5 before carrying that momentum into the second. “Taking a set from love-five, I think that plays a part,” she said. The comeback proved an early test of her composure against an experienced opponent. Maaya subsequently advanced through the draw, reaching the final against Cervino Ruiz and sealing the championship in straight sets.
The triumph comes after a significant change in Maaya’s training environment. Having spent time at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain, she recently moved to the Elite Tennis Center in the south of France, with her base now in Cannes. Her coach, Jean-René Lisnard, travelled with her to Lagos. The decision to change academies was made with her development in mind. “In the best interest of me, there were so many things that we thought,” she said.
“This was the right decision, and we didn’t think twice,” she added. The move reflects the importance of regular competition, structured training and exposure to professional tennis as young players transition from junior events to the senior circuit. Maaya had previously attracted attention with her run to the semi-finals of the Mumbai Open in 2025, where she made an impressive WTA-level breakthrough as a teenager.
Despite the historic double, Maaya remains realistic about the challenges ahead. She plans to compete in more professional tournaments next year while continuing to participate in junior Grand Slam events. Building physical strength and avoiding injuries will be central to that transition. “On charts, the performances definitely weren’t as good as I wanted it to be,” she said. “I wish I could have done better for sure, but that’s behind me now,” she added.
“I haven’t played so many tournaments to actually experience that transition on a larger scale,” she said. “I don’t know how the transition is going to look, to be honest.” Asked whether the transition would be smooth, she answered briefly: “I’m in for surprises. We’ll see.” For now, the Lagos title has given her more than ranking points. It has strengthened her belief in her own game. “I really have to trust myself more,” she said. “That sort of confidence has developed in this week for sure, which wasn’t there before.”
Maaya’s historic title is an encouraging development for Indian women’s tennis, particularly at a time when young players are seeking to establish themselves internationally. Her ability to recover from a difficult opening-round position, win without dropping a set and claim two trophies in one week points to both competitive resilience and growing confidence.
However, the transition from junior promise to sustained success on the professional tour is rarely straightforward. The next phase will demand consistency, physical development and experience against stronger opponents. If Maaya can build on the confidence gained in Lagos, this breakthrough could become an important foundation for a long-term professional career. For Indian tennis, her achievement offers a reason for optimism. For Maaya, it is the beginning of a much bigger test.
