CHENNAI: The likes of Vaishnavi Adkar, Sahaja Yamalapalli and Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi will shoulder India’s hopes when the women's singles event of the Chennai Open – a WTA 250 event begins at the SDAT Stadium here on Monday.
Their presence in the main draw has increased significance, considering the losses of Indian qualifiers Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, Diya Ramesh, Zeel Desai and 14-year-old Jensi Dipakbhai Kanabhar on Saturday.
Bhamidipaty lost to Russian qualifier Viktoria Morvayova in straight sets. Diya and Zeel also suffered straight set defeats. However, one silver lining from the days’ defeats is Jensi winning a set against her Polish opponent Weronika Falkowska. However, the teenager lost the match 2-6, 7-5, 3-6.
Sahaja will face Swiss World No 128 Simona Waltert in the round of 32. Maaya, who recently won her senior title, will lock horns with eighth seed Katarzyna Kawa.
Adkar, who is set to face Jodie Burrage of Great Britain in the round of 32 is all set for the tournament. “I know a lot of names in the draw, but I haven’t really watched most of them play. I have just heard their names. But getting an opportunity to play in an event like the WTA 250 event at home is amazing for me, I would like to thank the Government of Tamil Nadu and Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA) for conducting this tournament, as we don't have a lot of big events in the country, and this is the biggest one that we have. So getting to play here, it's really amazing," Vaishnavi said during the main draw ceremony on Saturday. "So whoever I'm playing, and you know, whatever match, I just want to go out there and give my best,” she added.
Fourth seeded Hungarian tennis player Panna Udvardy who has played ITF events in India before, spoke on the conditions here. For the course of the tournament, the weather is expected to be cloudy and humid, with intermittent rains. “It's very hot, but the fact that we start late helps a lot. I would say it's a slower hard court than the other tournaments before this week, which I really like. I think the courts play quite well. I think it's a good tournament to play (physically), but also I think you will see some very big points,” the World No 78 said.
“So I think it's going to be an interesting one. Also, there are big matchups in the first round, so I think there's going to be a lot of good matches,” she added. She will begin her campaign against 2021 US Open junior champion Robin Montgomery.
She felt playing here will help her prepare for next year, beginning with the Australian Open early in 2027. “'It's still a little bit early for Australia, because usually we go on holiday after this, and then we start the preparation in December. But it's always more realistic to be here than in Europe where I play. It's my first time, actually, that I stay on the hard courts this time of the year, so I think that will benefit me starting next year as well,” she explained.
Tournament is wide open: Amritraj
Former Indian tennis legend and TNTA president Vijay Amritraj felt that the tournament was wide open after the draw ceremony took place. “It can be hot, it can be humid and rain can come and go. There's a lot of issues that come into it as the girls play their matches, so there's a lot of effort and concentration that goes into it. So I think the tournament itself is wide open.
He thanked the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) and the state government for their support. “I want to take this opportunity to make special mention of the Chief Minister of our state (C Joseph Vijay), who said tennis is his first love, which I think is wonderful. I think it's important for us to have this kind of remarkable support from the government, not just for our sport of tennis, but also for other sports in the state, that they've been very supportive of. So my very big thanks to the Honorable CM, the Sports Minister (Aadhav Arjuna), the SDAT team,” he said.
