Vaishnavi Adkar wins historic Tennis bronze at World University Games 2025

India’s Vaishnavi Adkar scripted history at the 2025 World University Games by clinching the bronze medal in women’s singles tennis, ending the country’s 46-year-long wait for a medal in the sport and becoming the first Indian woman to ever win a medal in tennis at the World University Games.

The 21-year-old from Pune bowed out in the semifinals after a valiant fight against Slovakia’s Eszter Meri, going down 6-2, 4-6, 4-6 in a high-quality, see-saw battle at the Yonex Centre Court. Adkar had started strongly, taking the first set 6-2 with confidence and rhythm, but Meri bounced back to edge the next two sets in a tightly contested encounter.

Despite the semifinal loss, Adkar’s path to the last four was nothing short of remarkable. She didn’t drop a single set across four rounds, showing composure and dominance in every match. Her campaign began with a 2-0 win over Jolien Maria Xenia Geels of the Netherlands in the Round of 64. She followed it up with straight-set wins over Finland’s Venla Elisa Ahti and Kenya’s Angella Okutoyi in the next two rounds.

In the quarterfinal, Adkar faced Germany’s Sina Herrmann and once again came through with a clean 2-0 victory to guarantee herself a spot in the final four, and at least a bronze medal. She becomes the first Indian woman to stand on the tennis podium at the World University Games, a feat that adds a historic chapter to India’s university-level sporting legacy.