Vaidehee Chaudhari advances to Main draw with 6-2, 7-5 victory in Qualifying Round 2
Bengaluru, 16 February 2026: With the main draw of the KPB Trust ITF Women’s Open W100 Bengaluru 2026 set to get underway, Indian hopeful Vaidehee Chaudhari delivered a strong performance, booking her place with a confident straight-sets victory in the final round of qualifying.
Chaudhari looked sharp and assured from the outset in her 6-2, 7-5 win over Evgeniya Burdina. Moving fluidly along the baseline, she dictated the tempo in the opening set, using her agility and court coverage to force errors and wrap up the first set 6-2. She carried that momentum into the second set, breaking in the opening game as Burdina struggled to contain the sustained pressure. Though her accuracy dipped briefly towards the latter stages, allowing Burdina to level proceedings, Chaudhari responded by raising her intensity to break in the 11th game before calmly serving out the match 7-5 to seal her main draw berth.
In a significant show of encouragement for the Indian contingent, title sponsor KPB Family Trust has announced a special incentive of Rs. 10 lakhs for any Indian player who wins the singles title at the KPB Trust ITF Women’s Open.
Announcing the initiative, KP Balraj said, “At KPB Family Trust our commitment goes beyond supporting just one tournament. We are truly invested in the long-term growth of Indian women in tennis. We believe in backing talent and rewarding excellence. This additional incentive is our way of encouraging Indian players to aim higher, compete with confidence, and support them on their journey to the international stage. We hope this initiative not only inspires strong performances this week but also helps build a stronger competitive culture and cultivate the next generation of Indian champions who can take India to the highest level of international tennis competitions.”
The announcement comes as a shot in the arm for Indian singles players such as Sahaja Yamalapalli along with wildcards Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi, Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty, Shruti Ahlawat and Vaishnavi Adkar as they look to capitalise on the opportunity to feature in the singles draw of the biggest ITF women’s event in the country.
The doubles draw too features a strong Indian presence, as experienced campaigner Prarthana G Thombare teams up with Jasmin Gimbrere to make up the second seed, while Ankita Raina partners Priska Madelyn Nugroho to be placed as the third seed. Several all-Indian pairs are also set to compete, further strengthening the home interest across the doubles competition, including Sonal Patil and Bela Tamhankar, Vaidehee Chaudhari and Sahaja Yamalapalli, Sravya Shivani Chilakalapudi and Zeel Desai, Harshini Nagaraj and Vanshita Pathania, Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty and Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi, and Vaishnavi Adkar and Shruti Ahlawat.
Qualifying Final Round Results:
6-Vaidehee Chaudhari (IND) bt 16-Evgeniya Burdina 6-2, 7-5; 3-Kristiana Sidorova bt 10-Ankita Raina (IND) 2-6, 6-2, 6-1; 4-Misaki Matsuda (JPN) bt 14-Akanksha Dileep Nitture (IND) 6-1, 6-0; 5-Jasmijn Gimbrere (NED) bt 9-Zeel Desai (IND) 7-6(4), 7-6(1); 1-Eri Shimizu (JPN) bt 15-Polina Bakhmutkina (BEL) 6-3, 6-4; 2-Zuzanna Pawlikowska (POL) bt 11-Maria Kalyakina 6-2, 6-2; 7-Anastasia Kulikova (FIN) bt 12-Victoria Milovanova 6-4, 6-2; 13-Arina Gabriela Vasilescu (ROU) bt 8-Maria Golovina 6-0, 7-6(4).
Please find attached photos.
Photo Credits – Deepthi Indukuri
