Maaya Rajeshwaran Wins Maiden ITF Doubles Title at W35 Lagos, Reaches Singles Final in Breakthrough Week

India's 17-year-old Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi captured her maiden professional doubles title alongside Ukraine's Yelyzaveta Kotliar at the ITF W35 Lagos tournament in Portugal, completing a remarkable week in which she also reached the women's singles final after entering the main draw as a qualifier.

Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi produced one of the most encouraging performances of her young career at the ITF W35 Lagos tournament, combining a doubles championship with a run to the singles final. The Indian teenager defeated higher-ranked opponents throughout the week, demonstrating composure and resilience against more experienced players on the professional circuit.

Her doubles triumph came through a comeback in the final, where she and Kotliar recovered from a one-sided opening set to defeat China's Min Liu and Italy's Carlotta Moccia 0-6, 6-2, 10-7 in a match tiebreak. The victory gave Maaya her first doubles title at the professional level and capped a productive campaign in which she competed across both draws.

The women's doubles final initially appeared to be slipping away from the Indian-Ukrainian combination. Liu and Moccia dominated the opening set, winning it 6-0 and putting Maaya and Kotliar under immediate pressure.

The response, however, was decisive. Maaya and Kotliar regrouped in the second set, improved their execution and won it 6-2 to force a match tiebreak. With the championship on the line, the contest became a test of composure. The Indian and Ukrainian pairing maintained their momentum to prevail 10-7 in the deciding tiebreak, completing a comeback after losing the first six games of the match.

The result was particularly significant for Maaya, who had already invested considerable effort in the singles competition. Winning a professional doubles title while managing the demands of a deep singles run underlined her ability to handle a busy tournament schedule.

Singles run highlights her potential

Maaya's performance in singles was equally impressive. Ranked outside the world's top 1,000 at the time of the tournament, she entered the W35 Lagos event as a qualifier and progressed through several rounds against higher-ranked opposition. Her run included a significant second-round victory over top seed Justina Mikulskyte. Maaya won the opening set 7-6, taking the tiebreak 7-1, before producing a commanding second-set performance to win 6-1.

That result established her as a serious contender in the draw. She continued her progress by defeating Argentina's Berta Bonardi, ranked world No. 675 in the supplied tournament information, 6-2, 6-0 to reach the quarter-finals. The Indian teenager then faced China's Jialin Tian, the eighth seed and a player ranked substantially higher than her. Maaya delivered another authoritative performance, winning 6-2, 6-1 to book her place in the semi-finals.

The straight-sets victory extended a sequence of impressive results against higher-ranked opponents and demonstrated her ability to sustain her level as the competition intensified.

Maaya's semi-final did not require a completed match. She advanced to the singles final after receiving a walkover from third seed Britt Du Pree, who was ranked world No. 321 in the supplied information. The walkover secured Maaya a place in her maiden senior professional singles final. For a player who had begun the week in qualifying, reaching the championship match represented a significant breakthrough.

The Indian teenager was scheduled to face Spain's Celia Cerviño Ruiz in the final. The Spanish player had been identified as a strong end-of-season performer, setting up a challenging test for Maaya as she sought to translate her impressive run into a singles title.

Regardless of the final outcome, reaching the championship match after defeating the top seed and eighth seed was a substantial achievement for the 17-year-old.

The significance of Maaya's week extends beyond the doubles trophy. Her results demonstrate the value of competing consistently on the ITF circuit, where emerging players must navigate qualifying rounds, unfamiliar opponents and demanding schedules to accumulate wins and build ranking momentum.

Defeating the top seed and eighth seed in successive stages of a tournament is particularly encouraging. Such victories provide valuable competitive experience and can strengthen a young player's confidence against opponents with greater ranking points and professional experience. The doubles title also adds another dimension to her development. Doubles competition places a premium on anticipation, positioning, communication and decision-making under pressure. The ability to recover from a 0-6 opening set in the final showed that Maaya and Kotliar could adjust their approach rather than allow an early setback to determine the result.

For Indian tennis, performances of this kind offer another promising sign from the next generation. Progress at the ITF level remains an important step towards building the consistency required to compete at higher-tier professional tournaments.

Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi leaves the W35 Lagos tournament with a maiden professional doubles title and a singles campaign that carried her from qualifying to the final. Her week featured a comeback championship victory, important wins over higher-ranked opponents and the experience of competing for a singles title. The next challenge will be to build on this momentum across subsequent tournaments. 

Consistent performances, continued ranking progress and experience in deciding sets will be crucial as she develops her professional career.

At 17, Maaya has already demonstrated the capacity to compete beyond her current ranking. Her title-winning doubles partnership with Kotliar and deep singles run in Lagos provide a strong platform for the next stage of her journey on the professional circuit.