The opening day of the L&T Mumbai Open offered little cheer for Indian tennis fans as all four home players bowed out in the first round at the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association centre court on Tuesday. Sahaja Yamalapalli, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, Vaishnavi Adkar and Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi were unable to match the intensity and execution of their opponents, bringing a subdued end to the local challenge at the WTA 125 event.

Of the four, Vaishnavi Adkar showed the greatest resistance, pushing Austria’s Lilli Tagger in a contest built around long rallies and baseline exchanges. The 21-year-old Indian relied on patience and depth, trading heavy groundstrokes and attempting to move Tagger side to side to gain control of points. For long stretches, Vaishnavi held her own, matching her opponent shot for shot from the back of the court.

The difference, however, lay in key moments. Tagger stepped up when the pressure rose, using sharper angles and timely approaches to the net to disrupt Vaishnavi’s rhythm. The first set stayed on serve until the latter stages, before the Austrian found an extra gear, breaking late to clinch it 7–5. In the second set, Tagger became more assertive, serving bigger, attacking second serves, and mixing forehand volleys with well-disguised slices. Vaishnavi continued to compete, but Tagger’s consistency and willingness to finish points earned her a 7–5, 6–4 victory.

Later, expectations around last year’s semifinalist Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi were quickly tempered as she struggled to impose herself against Thailand’s Lanlana Tararudee. Tararudee, a quarterfinalist in the previous edition, controlled proceedings from the outset, using depth and margin over the net to pin Maaya behind the baseline. The Thai repeatedly targeted the corners, breaking serve with regularity to take the match 6–3, 6–2.

Maaya found it difficult to break free from the pressure, with Tararudee’s heavy topspin forehand and accurate returns denying her the chance to build sustained rallies. The Indian teenager’s movement and shot selection were tested throughout, and she was unable to shift the momentum at any stage.

Earlier defeats for Sahaja Yamalapalli and Shrivalli Bhamidipaty completed a forgettable day for the hosts. With no Indian players left in the singles draw after the first round, the Mumbai Open now turns its focus to the international contenders, while the local contingent is left searching for positives from a challenging start to the tournament.