Ankita Raina
Ankita Ravinderkrishan Raina (born 11 January 1993[1]) is an Indian professional tennis player and the current Indian No. 1 in both women’s singles (since 2013) and doubles (since 2019).
Raina at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships | ||||||||||||||
Full name | Ankita Ravinderkrishan Raina | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Country (sports) | ||||||||||||||
Born | Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India | 11 January 1993|||||||||||||
Height | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | |||||||||||||
Turned pro | May 2009 | |||||||||||||
Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) | |||||||||||||
Prize money | US$ 335,265 | |||||||||||||
Singles | ||||||||||||||
Career record | 268–217 (55.3%) | |||||||||||||
Career titles | 11 ITF | |||||||||||||
Highest ranking | No. 160 (2 March 2020) | |||||||||||||
Current ranking | No. 163 (16 March 2020) | |||||||||||||
Grand Slam Singles results | ||||||||||||||
Australian Open | Q2 (2019) | |||||||||||||
French Open | Q1 (2018, 2019) | |||||||||||||
Wimbledon | Q2 (2018, 2019) | |||||||||||||
US Open | Q2 (2019) | |||||||||||||
Other tournaments | ||||||||||||||
Doubles | ||||||||||||||
Career record | 200–166 (54.6%) | |||||||||||||
Career titles | 1 WTA 125K, 17 ITF | |||||||||||||
Highest ranking | No. 119 (2 March 2020) | |||||||||||||
Current ranking | No. 122 (16 March 2020) | |||||||||||||
Team competitions | ||||||||||||||
Fed Cup | 18–14 (56.3%) | |||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
Last updated on: 9 May 2020. |
Raina has won one WTA Challenger in doubles, along with eleven singles and seventeen doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. In April 2018, she entered the top 200 singles rankings for the first time, becoming only the fifth player representing India to achieve this feat.[2][3] Raina has also won gold medals in the women's singles and mixed-doubles events at the 2016 South Asian Games, and won a bronze medal in singles at the 2018 Asian Games.
Playing for India at the Fed Cup, Raina has a win-loss record of 18–14.[4] She has notable wins over Zhu Lin (CHN) and Yulia Putintseva (KAZ), both at the 2018 Fed Cup.
Personal life
Raina was born in the western Indian state of Gujarat to a Kashmiri Pandit family. Her family hails from the town of Tral in Pulwama district, Kashmir. Her family left Kashmir in the early 1990s during the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus, due to the ongoing insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir.
Raina is fluent in Hindi, Gujarati, and English. Raina briefly studied at Brihan Maharashtra.
At the national events, Raina has represented her home state Gujarat. Her idols growing up were Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Sania Mirza.
Raina trains at the Hemant Bendrey Tennis Academy at the PYC Hindu Gymkhana in Pune, and is coached by Hemant Bendrey.[5]
Career
Raina started playing tennis at the age of five. Following a promising junior career, Raina made her first professional appearance in 2009, at a small ITF tournament in Mumbai. In 2010, she continued to participate in local ITF events with limited success. Raina's 2011 season saw her advance to three ITF circuit finals in doubles, winning one with countrywoman Aishwarya Agrawal. In 2012, she won her first professional singles title in New Delhi and won three more in doubles. This was followed by a few years of mediocre results on the ITF Women's Circuit.
Raina won two matches at the 2017 Mumbai Open, advancing to the biggest quarterfinal of her career. This would turn out to be her breakthrough tournament. In April 2018, she reached a ranking of world No. 181 after winning a $25K ITF title, becoming the fifth Indian national to crack to the top-200 ladies singles rankings, following Nirupama Sanjeev, Sania Mirza, Shikha Uberoi, and Sunitha Rao.[6]
In August 2018, Ankita won the bronze medal in the Asian Games at Jakarta, Indonesia in singles event. Raina and Sania Mirza are the only players representing India to have won a singles medal at the Asian Games.[7]
At the 2019 Kunming Open, Raina got her first top-100 win, defeating Samantha Stosur, former US Open champion and top 10 player, scoring the biggest win of her career. In October 2019, Raina entered the top 150 doubles rankings for the first time, after reaching the finals of the 2019 Suzhou Ladies Open with partner Rosalie van der Hoek. She bettered this feat by winning two back-to-back ITF titles in Nonthaburi alongside Bibiane Schoofs; followed by reaching her first WTA semifinal at the 2020 Thailand Open alongside Rosalie. This gave Raina a new career-high raking of No. 123 in doubles.
Playing style
Raina is a steady baseliner who primarily relies on her speed and counterpunching abilities to outlast her opponents. She hits with plenty of topspin on both her forehand and backhand, and can hit in all directions comfortably. She also uses the backhand slice quite often, as a way of varying the pattern of a rally. Raina is comfortable with volleying, and approaches the net whenever she gets her opponent running or out of position. She doesn't use the drop shot or lob too frequently, but brings them out as a surprise tactic. Raina's biggest strength is her baseline consistency. She can stay toe-to-toe with most players from the back of the court, and can get a majority of shots back in play. Raina has a solid first serve, but it is her second serve that gives her an advantage at the start of a point. She can hit a good kick serve, which opens up the court for an easy putaway. Raina also has a good return of serve, and is capable of neutralizing most big serves by sending them back with precision. She is also quite efficient at the net, and can take the attack to the opponent on fast courts with her purposeful volleys. Raina's biggest weakness is the lack of firepower on her groundstrokes. She can't match the raw muscle strength of the top players, and so is frequently in danger of getting blown off the court. Recently, she has been moving a lot better on the court as well.
Sponsorship and equipment
In her junior years, Raina was helped by Dishman Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals to participate in overseas junior tournaments. Since then, she has been supported by Bharat Forge and Lakshya. Most recently, Raina has signed sponsorship deals with the Sports Authority of Gujarat and Yonex, and she is officially employed with ONGC.[8] Hence, Raina uses Yonex racquets and clothing. Adani Group is her current supporter.
In 2013, Raina met Narendra Modi, India's then-future prime minister, and officially was recognised under the Shaktidhoot scheme and hence became a part of India's goal of reaching Olympic podiums.
WTA 125K series finals
Doubles: 1 (1 title)
Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Win | 1–0 | Nov 2018 | WTA Taipei, Taiwan | Carpet | 6–3, 5–7, [12–12], ret. |
ITF circuit finals
Singles: 21 (11 titles, 10 runner–ups)
|
|
Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 0–1 | Apr 2012 | ITF Fujairah, United Arab Emirates | 10,000 | Hard | 3–6, 2–6 | |
Win | 1–1 | Jun 2012 | ITF New Delhi, India | 10,000 | Hard | 6–4, 6–2 | |
Loss | 1–2 | Jul 2012 | ITF New Delhi, India | 10,000 | Hard | 2–6, 2–6 | |
Loss | 1–3 | Mar 2013 | ITF Hyderabad, India | 10,000 | Hard | 6–4, 6–7(5–7), 6–7(3–7) | |
Loss | 1–4 | Mar 2013 | ITF Hyderabad, India | 10,000 | Hard | 6–2, 3–6, 1–6 | |
Win | 2–4 | Apr 2013 | ITF Chennai, India | 10,000 | Clay | 6–3, 6–1 | |
Loss | 2–5 | Apr 2013 | ITF Lucknow, India | 10,000 | Grass | 6–3, 6–7(2–7), 1–6 | |
Loss | 2–6 | Jun 2013 | ITF Qarshi, Uzbekistan | 25,000 | Hard | 3–6, 3–6 | |
Win | 3–6 | Jun 2013 | ITF New Delhi, India | 10,000 | Hard | 6–3, 6–2 | |
Win | 4–6 | Jul 2013 | ITF New Delhi, India | 10,000 | Hard | 6–4, 6–4 | |
Loss | 4–7 | May 2014 | ITF Balikpapan, Indonesia | 25,000 | Clay | 5–7, 6–2, 3–6 | |
Win | 5–7 | Dec 2014 | ITF Pune, India | 25,000 | Hard | 6–2, 6–2 | |
Loss | 5–8 | Apr 2015 | ITF Ahmedabad, India | 25,000 | Hard | 4–6, 6–7(5–7) | |
Loss | 5–9 | May 2017 | ITF Lu'an, China | 60,000 | Hard | 3–6, 6–3, 4–6 | |
Win | 6–9 | Mar 2018 | ITF Gwalior, India | 25,000 | Hard | 6–2, 7–5 | |
Win | 7–9 | Jul 2018 | ITF Nonthaburi, Thailand | 25,000 | Hard | 6–2, 6–3 | |
Win | 8–9 | Jan 2019 | ITF Singapore | 25,000 | Hard | 6–3, 6–2 | |
Loss | 8–10 | Apr 2019 | ITF Istanbul, Turkey | 60,000 | Hard | 4–6, 0–6 | |
Win | 9–10 | Dec 2019 | ITF Solapur, India | 25,000 | Hard | 6–3, 6–3 | |
Win | 10–10 | Jan 2020 | ITF Nonthaburi, Thailand | 25,000 | Hard | 6–3, 7–5 | |
Win | 11–10 | Feb 2020 | ITF Jodhpur, India | 25,000 | Hard | 7–5, 6–1 |
Doubles: 27 (17 titles, 13 runner–ups)
|
|
Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 0–1 | Jan 2011 | ITF Kolkata, India | 10,000 | Clay | 3–6, 1–6 | ||
Loss | 0–2 | Apr 2011 | ITF Lucknow, India | 10,000 | Grass | 3–6, 3–6 | ||
Win | 1–2 | May 2011 | ITF New Delhi, India | 10,000 | Hard | 6–4, 6–3 | ||
Win | 2–2 | May 2012 | ITF New Delhi, India | 10,000 | Hard | 6–1, 6–4 | ||
Win | 3–2 | May 2012 | ITF New Delhi, India | 10,000 | Hard | 6–3, 6–2 | ||
Win | 4–2 | Jun 2012 | ITF New Delhi, India | 10,000 | Hard | 6–1, 6–4 | ||
Loss | 4–3 | Apr 2013 | ITF Chennai, India | 10,000 | Clay | 7–5, 3–6, [6–10] | ||
Loss | 4–4 | Jul 2013 | ITF New Delhi, India | 10,000 | Hard | 2–6, 4–6 | ||
Win | 5–4 | Jan 2014 | ITF Aurangabad, India | 10,000 | Clay | 6–3, 6–3 | ||
Loss | 5–5 | May 2014 | ITF Tianjin, China | 25,000 | Hard | 1–6, 5–7 | ||
Win | 6–5 | Nov 2014 | ITF Mumbai, India | 25,000 | Hard | 6–4, 1–6, [11–9] | ||
Win | 7–5 | Dec 2014 | ITF Lucknow, India | 15,000 | Grass | 6–2, 6–4 | ||
Loss | 7–6 | Aug 2015 | ITF Westende, Belgium | 25,000 | Hard | 6–7(4–7), 4–6 | ||
Loss | 7–7 | Jun 2016 | ITF Fergana, Uzbekistan | 25,000 | Hard | 6–7(0–7), 2–6 | ||
Win | 8–7 | Sep 2016 | ITF Zhuhai, China | 50,000 | Hard | 6–4, 6–4 | ||
Win | 9–7 | Apr 2017 | ITF Pula, Italy | 25,000 | Clay | 6–4, 6–4 | ||
Win | 10–7 | May 2017 | ITF Hua Hin, Thailand | 25,000 | Hard | 6–2, 6–0 | ||
Win | 11–7 | Aug 2017 | ITF Koksijde, Belgium | 25,000 | Clay | 3–6, 6–3, [11–9] | ||
Loss | 11–8 | Aug 2017 | ITF Leipzig, Germany | 25,000 | Clay | 2–6, 1–6 | ||
Win | 12–8 | Aug 2017 | ITF Artvin, Turkey | 60,000 | Hard | 6–2, 6–3 | ||
Win | 13–8 | May 2018 | ITF Lu'an, China | 60,000 | Hard | 6–3, 6–3 | ||
Win | 14–8 | Nov 2018 | ITF Pune, India | 25,000 | Hard | 6–2, 6–7(5–7), [11–9] | ||
Loss | 14–9 | Jul 2019 | ITF Versmold, Germany | 60,000 | Clay | 6–0, 3–6, [8–10] | ||
Loss | 14–10 | Aug 2019 | ITF Woking, United Kingdom | 25,000 | Hard | 2–6, 5–7 | ||
Loss | 14–11 | Oct 2019 | ITF Suzhou, China | 100,000 | Hard | 6–3, 3–6, [5–10] | ||
Loss | 14–12 | Nov 2019 | ITF Liuzhou, China | 60,000 | Hard | 4–6, 4–6 | ||
Win | 15–12 | Dec 2019 | ITF Solapur, India | 25,000 | Hard | 5–7, 6–4, [10–3] | ||
Win | 16–12 | Jan 2020 | ITF Nonthaburi, Thailand | 25,000 | Hard | 6–4, 6–2 | ||
Win | 17–12 | Jan 2020 | ITF Nonthaburi, Thailand | 25,000 | Hard | 6–2, 3–6, [10–7] | ||
Loss | 17–13 | Feb 2020 | ITF Jodhpur, India | 25,000 | Hard | 6–4, 4–6, [8–10] | ||
Fed Cup participation
Singles
Edition | Stage | Date | Location | Against | Surface | Opponent | W/L | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group II |
R/R | 5 February 2014 | Astana, Kazakhstan | Hard (i) | W | 6–1, 6–2 | ||
6 February 2014 | L | 1–6, 2–6 | ||||||
P/O | 7 February 2014 | L | 3–6, 4–6 | |||||
2015 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group II |
R/R | 15 April 2015 | Hyderabad, India | Hard | W | 6–0, 6–1 | ||
16 April 2015 | W | 6–1, 3–6, 6–4 | ||||||
P/O | 17 April 2015 | W | 6–1, 6–2 | |||||
2016 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I |
R/R | 3 February 2016 | Hua Hin, Thailand | Hard | L | 6–7(5–7), 3–6 | ||
4 February 2016 | W | 6–3, 6–1 | ||||||
5 February 2016 | W | 6–1, 6–0 | ||||||
2017 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I |
R/R | 8 February 2017 | Astana, Kazakhstan | Hard (i) | L | 0–6, 3–6 | ||
9 February 2017 | L | 3–6, 6–3, 4–6 | ||||||
10 February 2017 | L | 3–6, 4–6 | ||||||
2018 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I |
R/R | 7 February 2018 | New Delhi, India | Hard | W | 6–3, 6–2 | ||
8 February 2018 | W | 6–3, 1–6, 6–4 | ||||||
9 February 2018 | W | 6–3, 6–2 | ||||||
P/O | 10 February 2018 | W | 6–4, 5–7, 6–1 | |||||
2019 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I |
R/R | 7 February 2019 | Astana, Kazakhstan | Hard (i) | W | 6–7(3–7), 6–2, 6–4 | ||
8 February 2019 | L | 1–6, 6–7(4–7) | ||||||
P/O | 9 February 2019 | W | 6–3, 6–3 |
Doubles
Edition | Stage | Date | Location | Against | Surface | Partner | Opponents | W/L | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I |
R/R | 6 February 2013 | Astana, Kazakhstan | Hard (i) | L | 3–6, 1–6 | |||
8 February 2013 | L | 1–6, 3–6 | |||||||
2014 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group II |
P/O | 7 February 2014 | W | 6–2, 6–1 | |||||
2019 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I |
R/R | 7 February 2019 | Astana, Kazakhstan | Hard (i) | W | 6–4, 6–7(6–8), 7–5 | |||
P/O | 9 February 2019 | Astana, Kazakhstan | Hard (i) | L | 4–6, 4–6 |
Asian Games
Singles (bronze medal)
Medal | Date | Tournament | Location | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
August 2018 | 2018 Asian Games | Jakarta, Indonesia | 4–6, 6–7(6–8) |
References
- "Ankita Raina". Retrieved 24 July 2014.
- Srinivasan, Kamesh (9 April 2018). "Ankita Raina in top-200". Retrieved 18 April 2018.
- "Ankita Raina becomes only third Indian woman tennis player to break into top 200 singles rankings". PTI. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
- "Ankita Raina". Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- Ankita Raina - Bio
- Srinivasan, Kamesh (9 April 2018). "Ankita Raina in top-200". Retrieved 10 September 2018.
- "Ankita Raina settles for bronze at Asian Games". PTI. 23 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
- Swamy, Narain (2 September 2015). "Game Changers". Archived from the original on 24 February 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
External links
- Ankita Raina at the Women's Tennis Association
- Ankita Raina at the International Tennis Federation
- Ankita Raina at the Fed Cup
- Ankita Raina, Profile tennislive