Heavy rain forced organizers to cancel all matches on the opening day of the WTA 250 Chennai Open, as Cyclone Montha’s outer bands drenched the SDAT Stadium on Monday.
Play was scheduled to begin at 3 p.m., but persistent showers delayed proceedings. At 4:45 p.m., tournament director Hiten Joshi officially called off the day’s action. Defending champion Linda Fruhvirtova briefly practiced on Centre Court around 4:15 p.m., but the wet surface made competitive play impossible.
French qualifier Astrid Lew Yan Foon, Fruhvirtova’s first-round opponent, never made it onto the court. Instead, a member of the Czech star’s team fed balls during a cautious hitting session. Water continued to pool on the green-and-blue surface, despite repeated drying attempts.
The Chennai Open, returning to India after a three-year hiatus, has already faced setbacks. Withdrawals from top players like Lois Boisson, Tatjana Maria, and Lulu Sun thinned the draw. Monday’s washout added another challenge.
The Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai issued an orange alert, warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall due to Cyclone Montha, which was located about 500 km from the city and expected to cross the Andhra coast on Tuesday evening.
Joshi announced that Tuesday’s schedule will begin at 12 noon and include all 16 first-round matches. To accommodate the backlog, organizers will use an additional court alongside Centre Court and the two outside courts.
Four Indian players will feature in singles action. Vaishnavi Adkar faces third seed Donna Vekic, while Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi and Shrivalli Bhamidipaty meet in an all-Indian wildcard clash. Sahaja Yamalapalli takes on Priska Nugroho in the final match on Court 1.
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