Vaishnavi Adkar during a practice session at the DLTA complex in New Delhi on Monday, 6th April 2026. Photo: Rahul Goyal/Camshut

Vaishnavi Adkar’s rise as India No. 1 player in the latest WTA singles charts couldn’t have come at a more apt time.
The 21-year-old Vaishnavi, who at 384 is one rung ahead of Sahaja Yamalapalli in the world rankings, announced her arrival on the women’s circuit early this year when she stormed to the final of a W100 event in Bengaluru.
That and the W35 title two weeks later in Kalaburagi catapulted her from outside top-600 at the start of the year to inside 400, earning her spot in the Indian team which will be led by Vishaal Uppal in the Asia-Oceania Group 1 tie in New Delhi from Tuesday.
Vaishnavi, who began training at the Rohan Bopanna Tennis Academy in Bengaluru at the start of the year, will have fond memories of the DLTA Complex, having won the Fenesta Open National hard-court singles title at the same venue last year.
India will need her to be in top form as Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty, the star of the team’s campaign in the competition last year, pulled out of the tie citing an injury last week.
Zeel Desai has been drafted in as replacement while reserve Vaidehee Chaudhari has also withdrawn.
Ankita Raina and Rutuja Bhosale will perform the doubles duty.

It’s an honour to be on this team representing the country. And it makes it even more special because all of us are on the same team. It’s very rare

Vaishnavi Adkar

“It’s an honour to be on this team representing the country,” Adkar said on Monday.
“And it makes it even more special because all of us are on the same team. It’s very rare that we get to play on the same team and all of us are on the same side of the net.
“So it’s really a privilege to be on the same team and all of these girls. And we’re just looking forward to all the matches.”
Uppal’s side takes on Thailand in its opening match on Tuesday.

Ankita Raina and Rutuja Bhosale will form a formidable combination, which could prove vital for India’s chances


New Zealand, South Korea, Indonesia and Mongolia are the other teams in the fray. The top two sides will advance to the World Group playoffs in November while the bottom two will be relegated to Asia-Oceania Group 2 in 2027.
Uppal expressed confidence in his team’s preparation and readiness to perform in front of the home crowd. “We are used to much hotter conditions in April in Delhi,” Uppal said.
“But the weather is something we can’t control. We can control our practice sessions, and we’ve had some good practice sessions.
“And I feel the team is ready to really give it their best and perform at their optimum level.”