Sahaja Yamalapalli has become India's top women's tennis player, having scaled up the Women's Tennis Association rankings as World No. 302 on September 9. The Telangana native, who has been into the sport since the age of 10, only recently turned to playing professionally but has already made significant strides in international courts. The 23-year-old is also only the third women's tennis player to win an International Tennis Federation pro title. Most recently, Yamalapalli won a SoCal Pro Series title at Jack Kramer Club in Rolling Hills Estates, California.
Sahaja Yamalapalli: India #1
Yamalapalli became India's No. 1 tennis player by surpassing former top-seeded Ankita Raina on the Women's Tennis Association tour rankings. She grabbed her career's best ranking 302, while Maharashtra's Raina occupied No. 307. In the third place in India's rankings is B. Shrivalli, also from Telangana.
Despite achieving the top spot in India, Yamalapalli asserts that there is much more yet to work for and look forward to in her career. Speaking to Sportstar, she said, "For me, this ranking is just another milestone and a reminder that I keep doing things that I have been doing to be a better player."
Yamalapalli added, "Essentially, I have been focussing to be a complete player on all surfaces. Definitely trying to get better on clay courts also though I have been earlier playing mostly on hard courts. I am glad that I could make it to the semifinal in a clay court championship a few days ago."
Yamalapalli, a Khammam resident, credits part of her success to the financial support and encouragement of Prahlad Kumar Jain, who was a tennis coach and owns a pharmaceutical company. She is also reportedly supported by a non-profit organisation called Lakshya Sports Foundation.
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