Mumbai, Jan 30 (IANS) India No. 2 women’s sinngles player Vaidehee Chaudhari, has been announced as the Wild Card into the main draw at the upcoming 2026 Mumbai open WTA 125K Series.

Also, 15-year-old youngster Parthsarthi Mundhe and 22-year-old Akanksha Nitture have been given a Wild Card for the Qualifiers of the competition, which will be held at the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) in Mumbai.

The Qualifiers will be held on 31st January and 1st February followed by the main draw which is scheduled from 2nd to 8th February, 2026.

Vaidehee Chaudhari was given the wild card into the main draw after Sahaja Yamalapalli earned direct entry into the main draw of the Mumbai Open WTA 125K Series.

She is entering the Mumbai Open in a rich vein of form winning W35 Solapur in December after beating Michika Ozeki in the final 2025 and reaching the final of WTT 15 in Ahmedabad in January.

The 25-year-old was also a mainstay in the Indian Team at the Billie Jean King Cup Asia Oceania Group 1 and won crucial Singles matches for her side.

Speaking on the occasion, Vaidehee Chaudhari stated, “I’m very excited and thankful to Hon President Mr. Prashant Sutar and Hon Secretary Mr. Sundar Iyer of MSLTA for giving me this golden opportunity. This year there are a lot of high-ranked international players competing in the L&T Mumbai Open, so I am looking forward to the challenge.”

Talking about her personal goals and strategy ahead of the tournament, she said, “I plan to enjoy every match and do my best to go deep in the competition by staying focused, trusting my training, and giving everything I’ve got in every single game.”

15-year-old Parthsarthi Aru Mundhe, hailing from Dharashiv district in Maharashtra, is a Junior National Champion and will be looking to impress local supporters in the Qualifiers of her first ever L&T Mumbai Open campaign. Parthsarthi Aru Mundhe will be facing Poland’s Zuzanna Pawlikowska while Akanksha Nitture will play against Indian veteran Ankita Raina on the first day of Qualifiers at the MSLTA.

–IANS

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