Chennai Open women's singles final postponed due to rain and smoke
Organisers rescheduled the match between Janice Tjen and Magda Linette to Monday after Diwali fireworks and rain disrupted play.
The WTA 250 Chennai Open women's singles final between defending champion Janice Tjen and Poland's Magda Linette has been rescheduled for Monday, according to the Times of India. The championship match, originally set for Sunday at the SDAT Tennis Stadium, was postponed because rain and smoke from Diwali fireworks affected the air quality around the venue.
The final is now scheduled to begin at 11 am IST on Monday, November 9. The decision to hold the final on Diwali had faced criticism regarding the choice of date given the traditional celebrations in Chennai. Noise from firecrackers also disrupted the semi-finals on Sunday evening.
Top seed Janice Tjen from Indonesia secured her place in the final by defeating American Robin Montgomery 6-3, 6-4. Tjen, who won the title last year, noted that playing in an environment with constant firecracker noise was not easy and required her to stay focused.
Third seed Magda Linette will face Tjen after recovering from a first-set loss to defeat seventh seed Anastasia Zakharova 2-6, 6-2, 6-3. Linette, who was the runner-up in the 2022 edition, is looking to secure her first title at this event.
In the women's doubles final held on Sunday, Switzerland's Simona Waltert and Naima Karamoko defeated India's Vaishnavi Adkar and Rutuja Bhosale 6-2, 6-0 to lift the trophy.