Mumbai Open: 336th-ranked Yamalapalli upsets top seed Kayla Day in first round
Yamalapalli needed three sets and two hours, 43 minutes to pull off the big upset
Wild card entrant Sahaja Yamalapalli pulled off a stunning upset over top seed Kayla Day, of the United States, in a three-set battle in the first round of the L&T Mumbai Open WTA 125K Series Tennis Championships at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) on Monday evening.
Yamalapalli, ranked No. 335 in the world and playing against a top 100 player for the first time in her career, won the first set 6-4 against Day, a former junior US Open winner, before the American bounced back to take the third set 6-1.
In the decider, the 335th-ranked Yamalapalli, who is the second highest ranked Indian on the WTA singles list, broke in the ninth game before serving out the match to win 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 in two hours and 43 minutes and advance to the second round.