Chennai Open final postponed due to rain and poor air quality
The women's singles final between Magda Linette and Janice Tjen was moved to Monday after smog and rain disrupted play on Sunday.
The women's singles final of the Chennai Open at the SDAT Tennis Stadium was postponed on Sunday after rain and thick smog from Deepavali firecrackers disrupted play, according to The New Indian Express and Scroll.
The match, scheduled for 6.30 pm between Poland's Magda Linette and Indonesia's Janice Tjen, faced several delays due to rain. Organisers attempted to restart the match at 9 pm after drying the court, but thick smog reduced visibility, preventing the game from proceeding.
Linette, who won the final on Monday, said players agreed to call off the match after a medical expert showed them a live Air Quality Index (AQI) reading. While a screenshot shared by Tjen's coach, Christopher Bint, showed an AQI of 1,556, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) reported a calculated average AQI of 178 at 10 pm, which is categorised as poor.
Linette stated that the pollution and health hazards were a concern for players, officials, and ball boys. She suggested that the tournament timings could have been planned better to avoid the firecracker bursting.
Hiten Joshi, the tournament director and Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA) CEO, said the organisers considered all factors before the decision. He noted that the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) provided a specific window from November 2 to November 8 and that rain was a more significant concern than the celebrations.