The Sports-India Community

Although she doesn't quite qualify according to our strict standards, Rutuja Bhosale has (in my view) earned a thread of her own by making the QF of the $25K Challenger last month, which has taken her WTA singles ranking to 790. For a 15-year-old to be ranked that highly is very promising indeed.

So, here is a thread for the Next Big Player from India on the women's circuit. Still young, Rutuja has a long way to go, but in 2011 she showed (on the junior circuit in the first half of the year, and on the pro tour in late-December) that she has what it takes to climb high if health/fitness permits.

Rutuja was ranked #78 among the world's juniors at the end of 2011, and will automatically rise toward the top-50 at the start of 2012. Her biggest win of 2011 was her singles title triumph at the Asian Closed Junior championships in May. She didn't quite capitalize on that during the second half of the year, but she is only 15 (turning 16 in March this year), so still has lots of time on her side.

Thank you PKB for opening this thread! Really looking forward to following our current national champ!

Rutuja is now ranked 69 in juniors(her personal best) whereas Ratnika cracked into top 50 ,she is now 42 ,her career best too.Hope both of these girls make some noise in Australian open.

Rutuja is also in the entry list of Grade 1 ITF tournament which is a warm up for Australian open & starts this weekend. Ratnika Batra has withdrawn from there though . She is still in the AO list but not quite sure if she is fit as she has not played anywhere since early November.

A BIG CONGRATULATION TO RUTUJA FOR BEING THE 1ST INDIAN GIRL SINCE SANIA TO MAKE THE SEMIS OF ANY GRAND SLAM JUNIOR DOUBLES! Keep up gal! Waiting to see her make an impact in the Fed Cup

P.S. Did any of her matches had live stream? Anyone saw? All I know is that she is taller than Sania and naturally has a good serve!

First girl since Sania and Sanaa... They were the first ones to make a semi in our memory. Sania repeated it with Kleybanova soon after. Jay

As you said Sania/Sanaa made it to the semis at French Open 2003 but Sania bettered that at Wimbledon winning the title with Alisa. As Sania was the last one, I said 'since Sania' . But for all I know, Rutuja's feat may be a first for an Indian girl at the Australian Open.

While Sania, Sanaa & now Rutuja have made the doubles SF in juniors, is there anyone among girls who has gone on till SF/ Final of the junior slams. Checked Sania's record & she has never gone past second round in the 6 grand slams she played. I do not think of anyone else at least in last 10 years or so. It will be intresting to know what is the best performance in junior slams by an Indian girl. We know that among boys , Yuki & Leander have won the slam titles. ( also Ramesh Krishnan, I think).

sameerph wrote: We know that among boys , Yuki & Leander have won the slam titles. ( also Ramesh Krishnan, I think).

In 1954 Ramanathan Krishnan was first Asian to win the Wimbledon junior Singles title.
In 1979 Ramesh Krishnan won the junior Wimbledon championship and junior French Open.

Check this link -
Indian Tennis : Grand Slams

Need to search about girls record but I doubt anyone reaching QF in junior girls singles grand slam.

Nirupama Sanjeev reached in the [R16] third round of The Junior Championships, Wimbledon in 1993.

In the pre-Open era, Rita Davar made the junior (girls) final at Wimbledon (1950s).

Thanks, Jaydeep & PKB. So, virtually we do have any tennis legacy in girls tennis. It is quite remarkable really the way Sania came up out of nowhere in this background. Hopefully, Rutuja will do better than second round in one of the grand slams this year.

Rutuja is 67 in the current rankings. I think its her best. Bdw Ratnika has slipped to 51. Taylor Townsend, the Aus Open singles and doubles champ who beat Ratnika (in singles) and Rutuja (in doubles) is No 2. Is there no separate rankings for doubles? Was expecting a huge leap for Rutuja after making the semis.

No separate ranking for junior doubles. ITF stopped that several years back (Somdev's final junior year may have been the last year when they did that). They just add 1/4th of the points from doubles to the singles points to calculate a combined ranking. As the doubles rounds' wins fetch only around 2/3rd the points that the same round's wins fetch in singles, the effective weight of doubles in the juniors is actually around 1/6th.

Jay