Kayla day

Grand Slam Qualifiers: Having made a sensational debut in the Mumbai Open WTA 125K Series Tennis Championship by beating the top seed in the first round, India’s Sahaja Yamalapalli is hoping to take the next step by aiming to play in the Grand Slam qualifiers.

Sahaja had never played a WTA $125K event or a player ranked inside the top 100 in the world before Monday. But the 23-year-old displayed power-packed groundstrokes and nerves of steel to pull off an upset win over top seed Kayla Day in the first round of the Mumbai Open.

Speaking about her goals for the season, Sahaja said her target is to play in the qualifying draws for the Grand Slams this year.