In Conversation: Krisha Mahendran Unpacks Her Stunning Semifinal Run at ITF W15 Los Angeles

Krisha Mahendran walked into the ITF W15 Los Angeles tournament as a qualifier with zero expectations. Five matches later, she not only earned her first WTA points but was also celebrating a breakthrough semifinal appearance. The WTA-unranked 18-yo took down seasoned pros, proving she belonged on court with ranked players.

Fresh off her semifinal loss to former WTA #289 Veronika Miroshnichenko, Krisha sat down with ITD’s Jayakrishnan to unpack her whirlwind week. Mahendran’s journey reveals a player who’s mapping out her pro career with surgical precision while keeping her feet firmly planted on the ground.

1. Your thoughts on today’s match against Veronika Miroshnichenko, a #289 WTA player last year, though a qualifier at this event?

I was not aware that she was ranked that high. I had assumed that she was another low-ranked qualifier like me. She played at a very high level initially, hitting low trajectory balls, flat without much spin but with good velocity. It took me a little time to get adjusted to her game. Maybe I was trying to do too much too, so I was down two breaks quickly. Then I adjusted my game and started hitting deeper and more to her backhand side. I felt it was a competitive match with several long games after that till 3-4 in the second set, when I made some unforced errors of the kind I was not making all week. I could not recover from that. I think my first serve percentage was quite low today, unlike in the previous matches when it was very high. That did not help either. Overall, though I was disappointed in losing the match, I should look positively about making the match quite even after the poor start against a quality opponent.

2. Your thoughts on your good run this week which turned into a breakout week for you?

I came into the event with no expectations, as the final round of qualifying was my best performance in ITF pro events before. So, to qualify and reach the semifinal with 5 wins was definitely unexpected. I feel that I proved to myself that I can play at the high level required in the pro events. I was taking it one match at a time, and that attitude worked. It also feels great to get my first four WTA points, which will be a great help in getting ranked in WTA later, and getting into pro entry lists.

3. It has been one year since we interviewed you last, at the LA W15 last year. How has this year been, tennis-wise?

I feel that the past year has gone very well, as I trained hard and improved my physical abilities and my game on court. I changed my coach early this year to Christian Groh of San Diego, who has coached top players like Tommy Haas, Taylor Fritz, Brandon Nakashima and Learner Tien. That has really helped improve my game. Coach Groh is a tough coach who tells it like it is — what I need to hear and not necessarily what I like to hear, on deficiencies in my game to improve on. Working with him has been very positive, and I feel the results are beginning to come.

4. You have not played any junior events since some in Australia early in the year. Any reason why you ended the junior career early?

I had played the junior tour for a long time since I was 15. As I was joining the University of Southern California (USC) for college tennis this year, I felt it would be the right time to expose myself to the higher level of tennis on the pro tour during these few months before going to college. That needed working hard on and off the court this year too. I am happy that it worked out, with results like I got this week.

5. What does your schedule look like for the next month or two?

I have made the main draw for the W15 in San Diego, California, next week. I am looking forward to that. After that I will be playing an event at USC at the end of the month, and expect to play a couple more pro events in North America next month before the college season starts.

6. We heard a few days ago that a WTA 250 tour event will be held at Chennai at the end of October, under the leadership of TNTA and Sri. Vijay Amritraj. As you are from Tamil Nadu, you have any comments about the news?

I did not know about it, but it is absolutely awesome to hear that a 250-level event is coming to Chennai in my home state, though I grew up in California. It excites all of us upcoming Indian players, as we can look forward to getting a chance to play there at some point. Even qualifying rounds at a WTA 250 will be against high-ranked players, so it is a great opportunity for Indian players. It is also nice to hear of Vijay sir taking the leadership. I certainly know of him, as he is based in LA too, and we here look up to his accomplishments too, like everybody in India. In my case, as an incoming USC Trojan college player, I also know of his son Prakash Amritraj who was a Trojan hero as a national championship team MVP. It is great to know that this new WTA event is at that family’s and my family’s home state, Tamil Nadu.

7. Now that you have mentioned USC, what made you choose college tennis and USC? What are your expectations for yourself in the team?

I am super-excited to be a part of the USC team. One reason why I chose college tennis is that on-court coaching is allowed in college during matches. I believe it will help me fine-tune many situational details during matches. I felt at home with the family atmosphere at USC, and look forward to the college experience where tennis is played with team spirit. Team-mates constantly cheer you, which is quite different from the individualistic tennis tour. USC had the 4th best rated recruiting class in the nation this year, and I am sure we Trojans will be able to produce championship results.

From qualifier to semifinalist in one week—Krisha Mahendran just earned her first WTA points and rewrote her own story. She’s got the hunger to keep climbing and this semifinal run serves as a preview of what’s coming next.