India’s wildcard entrant Vaishnavi Adkar produced the biggest upset of the week at the KPB Trust ITF Women’s Open W100 Bengaluru 2026, scripting a sensational run into the semifinals with back-to-back wins over significantly higher-ranked opponents.
Ranked World No. 690 coming into the tournament, the 21-year-old announced herself on the big stage with a remarkable Round of 16 victory over eighth seed Mai Hontama of Japan, who is currently ranked No. 220 in the WTA rankings. In what turned out to be one of the most gripping encounters of the tournament, Adkar recovered from a slow start to claim a dramatic 2–6, 6–4, 7–6(8) win in a fiercely contested three-set battle.
Hontama dominated proceedings early on, using her superior ranking and experience to dictate rallies from the baseline and force Adkar into defensive positions. The Japanese player’s consistency and depth saw her comfortably take the opening set 6–2, placing the Indian under immediate pressure.
However, Adkar showcased remarkable composure in the second set, stepping inside the baseline and adopting a more aggressive approach to disrupt Hontama’s rhythm. Her improved shot selection and willingness to extend rallies began to yield results as she secured an early break and gradually turned the momentum in her favour. Despite a brief fightback from the Japanese player, Adkar held her nerve to close out the second set 6–4 and push the contest into a decider.
The final set proved to be a rollercoaster, with both players trading breaks in a tense tactical battle. Hontama surged ahead midway through the set, but Adkar displayed impressive mental resilience to claw her way back into the match. With neither player willing to concede ground, the match eventually went into a high-pressure tiebreak.
Trailing at one stage, Adkar produced a series of fearless winners under pressure before sealing the contest on her fourth match point to register arguably the biggest win of her professional career.
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Riding on the confidence gained from her career-best victory, Adkar followed it up with an even more impressive performance in the quarterfinals. Facing fourth seed Taylah Preston of Australia, ranked World No. 148, the Indian once again found herself up against a formidable opponent with vastly greater experience at this level.
After a tightly contested opening exchange, Preston looked poised to close out the match when she surged to a 3–1 lead in the final set. But Adkar once again demonstrated her fighting spirit, mounting a determined comeback to turn the match around. Showing greater intent on return games and capitalising on unforced errors from the Australian, she steadily chipped away at the deficit before sealing a stunning victory to book her place in the last four.
With this win, Adkar has now defeated two top-250 players in successive rounds a significant achievement that marks a breakthrough moment in her young career.
Elsewhere in the tournament, it was a mixed day for the Indian contingent. Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty, ranked No. 543 in the world, went down in three sets to third seed Hanne Vandewinkel of Belgium (WR 124), while Sahaja Yamalapalli (WR 416) suffered a straight-sets defeat against top seed Talia Gibson of Australia (WR 111), losing 0–6, 0–6.
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Adkar will now face the winner of the semifinal clash between Thailand’s Lanlana Tararudee (WR 126) and Russia’s Elena Pridankina (WR 192), as she looks to continue her dream run at one of the biggest ITF women’s events held in the country.
For Indian women’s tennis, Adkar’s run in Bengaluru signals the emergence of a promising new contender capable of competing with and defeating higher-ranked international opposition on the professional circuit.
