Here is all you need to know about Sahaja Yamalapalli the Indian tennis player including her age, height, ranking, career, records and more
After defeating the top-seeded and 92nd-ranked American, Sahaja Yamalapalli achieved the greatest triumph of her career. Kayla. The top-seeded American Kayla Day was defeated 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 by Indian wild card Sahaja on Monday at the Cricket Club of India in a thrilling upset during the first day of the WTA 125K Series L&T Mumbai Open.
Who is Sahaja Yamalapalli, Indian tennis player, her age, career, records
Yamalapalli, facing a player 244 spots higher in the rankings, trashed that statistical advantage with a brilliant 2 hours and 43 minute display of baseline hitting. After the win, the Indian told the reporters how she motivated herself against the top seed.
FIRST TOP 200 WIN FOR SAHAJA YAMALAPALLI; WINS TITLE AT ITF W25 SOLAPUR 🏆
23 year old and 412th ranked @sahaja_yamalapalli beat 186th ranked Ekaterina Makarova 🇷🇺 6-4 6-3 to clinch the 3rd pro singles title of her career 👏🏼
Yamalapalli will be ranked around 340 now 💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/Q7A95nUVCC
— Indian Tennis Daily (ITD) (@IndTennisDaily) December 24, 2023
She stated that at this stage of her career, winning this was really encouraging, and she hopes to win more on larger platforms. Sahaja not only took advantage of the chance but also strengthened her standing as the head of the next generation of Indian women’s tennis players, five of whom are under 25 and rank in the top eight in the nation.
Sahaja had never played a top 100 player before she met Kayla and defeated to what she would call it biggest win of her career.
Who is Sahaja Yamalapalli?
Sahaja Yamalapalli is an Indian tennis player who has from Hyderabad. She is currently the Indian No. 2 in the rankings and was born on October 29, 2000 and has completed her education at Sam Houston State University. The height of the 23 year old isn’t known.
Yamalapalli Sahaja. Country: India. Current/Highest rank – singles: 336. / 335. Current/Highest rank – doubles: 470
Ranked 336 in the world, Sahaja was taking on number one seed Kayla Day in the opening round of the Mumbai Open 2024 and facing an opponent ranked 244 spots ahead of her, Sahaja won the match in a tough three-setter (6-4, 1-6, 6-4).
A look at Sahaja Yamalapalli’s career
The 23-year-old was one of the four wild cards for the singles main draw that Indian players received from the MSLTA (Maharashtra Tennis Association). Sahaja arrived through the American collegiate route having attended Sam Houston State University in Texas as a player.
Since she was ten years old, Sahaja had a strong interest in the sport. Despite having limited budgets, she underwent training and competed in multiple tournaments while in school and college. In search of better teaching, the family was thrilled to receive a sponsorship offer from Sam Houston State University in Texas.
When she arrived back in Bengaluru in 2022 and enrolled at the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence’s PBI (Peter Burwash International) Tennis Academy, her career took off.
In that same year, she won two ITF championships, and in December, she won the ITF Solapur title by defeating 35-year-old Ekaterina Makarova, a two-time Slam semifinalist, in the championship match. This was her first victory over a number-two player.
Sahaja Yamalapalli’s parents
Sahaja Yamalapalli was born to Bhavani Kumar and Supriya.