Vaishnavi Adkar's Dream Run Ends as Runner-Up at ITF W100 Bengaluru

Adkar, a 21-year-old from Pune and ranked World No. 690, played the biggest match of her career after becoming the first Indian woman since Sania Mirza to reach an ITF W100 final. However, Vandewinkel's experience and consistency were clear from the start.

During her title run, Vandewinkel receives 100 WTA ranking points and USD 15,239 in prize money. Meanwhile, Adkar gains 65 ranking points and USD 8,147, providing a notable boost that will help improve her position in the rankings.

The Belgian player broke Adkar early in the game before she could get into a rhythm and quickly established a 3-0 advantage, taking advantage of unforced errors and controlling the game with her forehand. By maintaining consistent depth from the baseline, Vandewinkel secured the first set 6-0 with a service ace.

The second set started similarly, with an early break giving the World No. 124 the lead. Adkar displayed moments of determination in the third game, hitting a few winners to hold her serve for the first time in the match. Later, she secured three break points in the fourth game when Vandewinkel briefly lost focus.

The Belgian responded wisely by slowing down her returns and changing her patterns to throw off Adkar's timing. She saved all three break points, held at 3-1, and kept applying pressure. Vandewinkel pushed Adkar to deuce once more before extending the lead to 4-1. Despite the Indian's attempts to prolong rallies and induce errors, the Belgian stayed calm.

In the seventh game, Vandewinkel reached two match points and clinched the victory on the second, securing the championship in just over an hour.

"It was a bit of an unknown coming into the match, but I knew she beat some really good players, so I was very aware of that. I didn't want to make the mistake of not being fully there in the match and letting her come into the match, because I saw the last few matches she could play some really good tennis. So I think I was just there from the beginning. I made her work for every point, and I think that was the goal of today, and I think I managed pretty well," Vandewinkel commented after clinching the title.

"I think it was a very solid week for me, learned a lot of things and especially after a tough year last year, a week like this is really going to be helpful. I already feel so much better about my game and it has helped a lot with the self-belief and confidence," Adkar emphasised on the positives after the Final.

Although the Final was a stretch too far, Adkar's breakthrough week as a wildcard marked a significant achievement. She defeated multiple higher-ranked opponents and reached a historic W100 Final, breaking into the top 500 for the first time in her career. She is now projected to be the second-highest ranked Indian.

- IANS