Top seed Zeel Desai will the cynosure of all at the HCL ITFW15 will be held from April 26 to May 3 at the DLTA Stadium in New Delhi. The event, brought to fruition by the HCL Group, will feature 74 players, including 62 Indian athletes, competing for crucial world ranking points and a total prize purse of $15,000.
Leading the Indian challenge is Zeel Desai (World Rank 550), top seed and winner of the HCL ITF W15 Gurugram. Zeel is looking to carry forward her title-winning momentum and push her ranking higher. She is joined by a strong domestic contingent: Akansha Dileep Nitture (5th seed, rank 906), Shruti Ahlawat (6th seed, rank 908), and Sonal Patil (7th seed, rank 966). International challengers from Russia, Japan, the United States, and Poland add competitive depth to the event.
The doubles final is scheduled for May 2, the singles final on May 3.
The tournament will be directed by former Davis Cupper Vishal Uppal, captain of the Indian Billie Jean King Cup Team. “Expanding women’s participation in tennis requires a sustained focus on access, visibility, and continuity of competitive opportunities. When players regularly compete against international opponents on home soil, it not only accelerates their development but also strengthens the overall depth of the talent pool. At the same time, increased visibility of such tournaments plays a key role in inspiring the next generation of athletes and building a stronger pipeline for women’s tennis in India,” said Vishal Uppal.
Between 2014 and 2018, HCL built a grassroots foundation for Indian tennis through the HCL Junior Tour and Masters – creating structured pathways for junior players through inter-school competitions and professional tournament exposure, in partnership with AITA and MBTA. Now, HCL returns to tennis with its sights set higher: hosting international-level ITF events on Indian soil, connecting that early foundation to global competition, and ensuring the financial and logistical barriers of professional tennis don’t cut short careers that deserve a full run.
“At HCL, we have always believed that talent is everywhere – but the ecosystems to support it aren’t. Whether it’s building pathways in sport or technology, our role has been to create the conditions where potential can actually be realised. Women’s tennis in India has no shortage of ability. What it needs is consistent infrastructure – ranking opportunities, international exposure, and tournaments on home soil that don’t require a player to fly halfway across the world just to be seen. That’s what we are trying to build,” said Sundar Mahalingam, president–strategy, HCL Group.
