India’s second ranked women’s player Vaidehee Chaudhari suffered a shock first-round exit as she went down in straight sets at the Mumbai Open 2026 WTA 125 tournament at the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association in Mumbai on Tuesday.
World No. 425 Vaidehee Chaudhari lost 6-2, 6-0 against Leolia Jeanjean, 115th in the WTA singles rankings, in an hour and two minutes. Leolia Jeanjean came into the spotlight after defeating former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova of Czechia at the French Open in 2022.
India’s Ankita Raina, who was promoted to the main draw as a ‘lucky loser’ following Lulu Sun’s withdrawal due to illness, also endured an opening-round after losing 6-4, 6-0 against Misaki Matsuda of Japan.
The first match of the opening day saw Japan’s Mai Hontama beat 21-year-old Alevtina Ibragimova 6-1, 6-4.
Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew, the runner-up from last year’s Mumbai Open, cruised past her Slovakian opponent Viktoria Morvayova 6-2, 6-1 to progress to the next round.
The Thai is one of Asia’s leading tennis stars and faced off against Emma Raducanu in the latest edition of the Australian Open.
Japan’s Mei Yamaguchi emerged victorious after a hard-fought battle against Polina Iatcenko that lasted for two hours and 14 minutes. The Japanese player came back into the game after losing the first set and went on to win the match 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.
In the final match of the day, Japan’s Miho Kuramochi overcame Argentina’s Nicole Fossa Huergo in straight sets, winning 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and 31 minutes.
Results: Mai Hontama (JAP) beat Alevtina Ibragimova: 6-1, 6-4; Mananchaya Sanwangkaew (THA) beat Viktoria Morvayova (SVK) 6-2, 6-1; Misaki Matsuda (JAP) beat Ankita Raina (IND) 6-4, 6-0; Mei Yamaguchi (JAP) beat Polina Iatcenko: 5-7, 6-3, 6-3; Leolia Jeanjean (FRA) beat Vaidehee Chaudhari (IND): 6-2, 6-0; Miho Kuramochi (JAP) beat Nicole Fossa Huergo (ARG) 6-4, 6-3.
