New Delhi, Feb. 10 -- For a week in Mumbai, India's city of dreams, Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi took Indian tennis on a fantastical ride. While her legs were tired by the end of it, her courage rarely wavered as she went from a wildcard in the qualifiers to a semi-finalist at the L&T Mumbai Open.

The 15-year-old from Coimbatore shattered the shroud of despondency that seems to have settled on Indian tennis of late. As Maaya progressed through the WTA 125k, currently the biggest women's tennis event in India, the nation got a look at its own teen prodigy.

Though slight, she packs a punch. Playing in only her fifth professional event, Maaya won the two qualifying rounds to make it to the main draw. She then proceeded to defeat Iryna Shymano...