Sahaja Yamalapalli (born 29 October 2000) is an Indian tennis player.[2] She is India's number one in women's tennis.[3]
| Full name | Sahaja Yamalapalli |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  India |
| Born | 29 October 2000[1] Hyderabad, India |
| Turned pro | 2021 |
| Plays | Right (two-handed backhand) |
| College | Sam Houston State University |
| Coach |
|
| Prize money | $64,404 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 97–78 |
| Career titles | 4 ITF |
| Highest ranking | 284 (October 2024) |
| Current ranking | 304 (Nov 2024) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 29–62 |
| Highest ranking | 408 (October 2024) |
| Current ranking | 459 (Nov 2024) |
Early life
editYamalapalli was born on 29 October 2000 in Hyderabad, India. Her mother is Supriya while her father Bhavaniprasad Yamalapalli works at an engineering college.[4]
She started playing tennis at the age of ten. Yamalapalli graduated from Sam Houston State University in 2017 where she majored in Food Science and Nutrition. She has won the Player of the Year Award for collegiate tennis.[5] She was the second tennis player in the university's history to be honored with the award, the first being Irina Sotnikova.
She was also the first women's tennis player who earned ITA national ranking 110 in the university's history while also becoming the first player to ever crack the ITA NCAA national ranking. Yamalapalli was Southland Conference women's tennis student-athlete of the year 2018, 2019 and 2021 for being top in studies and sports. [6]
Career
editYamalapalli made her debut on the ITF tour in 2021. She won the WTA Mumbai Open.[7] She won the SoCal Pro Series and became the third Indian women's tennis player to win an ITF pro title.[8] She also won the ECT ITF women’s singles title.[9] She mainly plays tournaments on the ITF Women's World Tennis Tour, where she has already won three titles in the singles.
ITF Circuit finals
editSingles: 5 (4 titles, 1 runner–up)
edit| Legend |
|---|
| W25 tournaments |
| W15 tournaments |
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Mar 2022 | ITF Nagpur, India | W15 | Clay | Emily Seibold | 6–5 ret. |
| Win | 2–0 | Jul 2022 | ITF Gurugram, India | W25 | Hard | Viktória Morvayová | 6–3, 7–6(5) |
| Loss | 2–1 | Jul 2023 | ITF Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand | W25 | Hard | Mananchaya Sawangkaew | 4–6, 0–6 |
| Win | 3–1 | Dec 2023 | ITF Solapur, India | W25 | Hard | Ekaterina Makarova | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 4–1 | Jun 2024 | ITF Los Angeles, USA | W15 | Hard | Amy Zhu | 6–4, 7–6(4) |
References
edit- ^ "Sahaja Yamalapalli: Profile". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ "Focusing on mental side gave Sahaja her first top-200 scalp". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ Subrahmanyam, V. V. (9 September 2024). "Following footsteps of Sania Mirza, Sahaja becomes No. 1 in women's tennis in India". sportstar.thehindu.com. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ "Daughter's coach by day, engg prof by evening". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ "Who is Sahaja Yamalapalli? Profile, style and scouting report of India's latest tennis sensation". Khel Now. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ Today, Telangana (23 March 2024). "Telangana's tennis ace Sahaja looking for sponsors". Telangana Today. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ "WTA Mumbai Open: Sahaja Yamalapalli's hard-won progress fills her with belief".
- ^ Subrahmanyam, V. V. (5 July 2024). "Sahaja Yamalapalli becomes third Indian women's tennis player to win an ITF pro title". sportstar.thehindu.com. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ Subrahmanyam, V. V. (7 July 2022). "Yamalapalli Sahaja: 'Glad to have won ITF title, didn't have any expectations'". Sportstar. Retrieved 14 September 2024.