Adkar and Bhosale Make History as First All-Indian Pair to Reach a WTA 250 Doubles Final

Chennai has a habit of giving Indian tennis its firsts. It was here that Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi won their first title together, back in 1997, on their way to the top of the doubles world. It was here that Rohan Bopanna reached his first ATP doubles final, and Somdev Devvarman his first singles final. On Saturday, at the SDAT Tennis Stadium, the city added another line to that list — and this time it belonged to two women.

Vaishnavi Adkar and Rutuja Bhosale beat the second seeds, Weronika Falkowska of Poland and Alana Smith of the United States, 6-2, 2-6, 10-8 in the Chennai Open doubles semi-finals, becoming the first all-Indian pair ever to reach a WTA 250 doubles final. It is also the first time an Indian women's pair has reached the final in Chennai itself.

The match had everything a semi-final should. Adkar and Bhosale came out fast, breaking twice to take the opening set 6-2 and put the seeds on the back foot. Falkowska and Smith are not second seeds by accident, though, and they hit back hard in the second, breaking the Indian pair twice to level the match. So it came down to a deciding tie-break, ten points for a place in a final, and that is where the home pair held their nerve. When the last point fell their way, the history was theirs.

For Bhosale, 30, the moment carried a particular weight. She had lost in the semi-finals here last year, and she said afterwards that defeat had still been a breakthrough for her. "It's really special," she said. "The last time, I lost in the semi-finals, but that was a breakthrough moment for me. This time, I knew we had a tough opponent in the semi-finals. Making our first WTA final together, especially with Vaish, feels surreal."

Adkar, 21, is playing in her first WTA final, and she admitted the partnership itself had caught her by surprise. "I was surprised when Rutuja asked me to partner her for doubles," she said. "It has always been fun sharing the court with her, and I'm really glad that I've reached my first WTA final."

The final, on Sunday, will be against the Swiss pair of Naima Karamoko and Simona Waltert, who beat Isabelle Haverlag and Panna Udvardy 6-4, 6-4 in the other semi-final. Whatever happens there, Adkar and Bhosale have already done something no Indian pair had done before them, in a city that has made a tradition of exactly that.

The singles final will be played on the same day. Defending champion Janice Tjen of Indonesia, the top seed, beat Robin Montgomery of the United States 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 23 minutes, striking six aces and 22 winners, and will face third seed Magda Linette of Poland, who came back from a set down to beat Anastasia Zakharova 2-6, 6-2, 6-3. Tjen, who has called India a second home, said reaching another final after a tough year meant a great deal to her. But on Saturday, the loudest story in Chennai belonged to the doubles court — and to two Indian players who, together, made history.