Chennai, 09 November (H.S.): . Poland’s Magda Linette clinched the Chennai Open women’s singles title after defeating top seed and defending champion Janice Tjen of Indonesia in a hard-fought final on Monday. Linette recovered from a set down to register a 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 victory in the rain-delayed championship match.

The final, which lasted two hours and 43 minutes, earned Linette the fourth WTA singles title of her career. She had previously won titles at the Bronx in 2019, Hua Hin in 2020 and Prague in 2024.

With this victory, Linette also brought an end to her long-standing quest for the Chennai title, four years after falling short in the final of the same tournament in 2022. On that occasion, she had lost to Linda Fruhvirtova despite leading 4-1 in the deciding set, eventually going down 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. This time, the Polish player completed the task and made amends for that defeat.

The Chennai final was the ninth of Linette’s career. It was also the first tournament in which she reached the final more than once. Meanwhile, Tjen had entered the competition hoping to defend the title she had won last year after defeating Linette in the final. The Indonesian was aiming to become the first player to win the Chennai Open crown in consecutive editions, but Linette denied her that distinction.

The singles final was originally scheduled for Sunday but was postponed by a day after rain and poor weather conditions disrupted proceedings. Heavy smoke and reduced visibility around the SDAT Tennis Stadium, following Diwali fireworks, also made playing conditions unsuitable. The organisers subsequently rescheduled the final for Monday at 11 a.m. They had issued an official notice confirming that tickets dated November 8 would remain valid for entry on November 9.

Meanwhile, the women’s doubles final was completed on Sunday. Switzerland’s Naïma Karamoko and Simona Waltert defeated India’s Vaishnavi Adkar and Rutuja Bhosale 6-2, 6-0 to claim their first title as a pairing.

Karamoko and Waltert were competing together for the first time at a tournament. They had earlier produced an impressive performance in the quarter-finals, defeating the top-seeded combination of Momoko Kobori of Japan and Peangtarn Plipuech of Thailand.

Adkar and Bhosale, meanwhile, created a milestone by becoming the first all-Indian pair to reach a WTA Tour doubles final. They secured their place in the championship match after defeating the second-seeded combination of Weronika Falkowska and Alana Smith in the semi-finals.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar