CHENNAI: WTA Chennai Open has returned after a three-year hiatus, but the tournament has suffered setbacks following a few withdrawals. French Open semifinalist Lois Boisson, world No. 43 Tatjana Maria, and Magda Linette have pulled out, taking sheen off the event. With two other WTA 250 events taking place this week and the season-ending WTA Tour Finals starting at the end of the week, the Chennai Open failed to attract any top-30 player. Moreover, the onset of monsoon poses a significant threat to the competition, but the organisers are hopeful of a smooth conduct.
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The world No. 69 Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey is the top seed in singles – the first time in her career she has held that position. “I want to play my best tennis and hope to win the tournament. It feels good to be a top seed for the first time, but it comes with pressure. I am fine with it. I do not know much about my opponent (Tatiana Prozorova) in the first round and will see what best can be done,” Sonmez said after her practice session on Sunday.
The other foreign attractions are Croatia’s Donna Vekic, Wimbledon junior girls champion Mia Pohankova from Slovakia, a main draw wildcard entrant, and reigning Chennai Open champion Linda Fruhvirtova. The 29-year-old Vekic clinched silver in the Paris Olympics last year and reached a career-high world rank of 17 in January. However, she has been off colour this year and will look to finish the season on a positive note. New Zealand’s Lulu Sun will come into the tournament with loads of confidence after finishing runner-up in the Guangzhou Open (WTA 250 event) on Sunday.
From an Indian perspective, it is a huge opportunity for the local hopefuls to showcase their abilities at the elite level. Three Indian players, including teenager Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi, were handed singles main-draw wildcards. The 16-year-old Maaya burst on the scene when she reached the Mumbai Open (WTA 125 event) semifinals, and the crowd in Chennai will expect to see a few upsets from the Coimbatore girl.
She is set to take on another wildcard entrant, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, who was instrumental in India’s advancement to the Billie Jean King (BJK) Cup playoffs in April. For her efforts, the 23-year-old was awarded the Billie Jean King Cup Heart Award for the Asia-Oceania zone. Speaking about her opening-round match, Shrivalli said: “She (Maaya) is an amazing junior player and I got to interact with her a lot at the BJK Cup. We are pretty fond of each other and are hoping to have a great show on the court."
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
The world No. 69 Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey is the top seed in singles – the first time in her career she has held that position. “I want to play my best tennis and hope to win the tournament. It feels good to be a top seed for the first time, but it comes with pressure. I am fine with it. I do not know much about my opponent (Tatiana Prozorova) in the first round and will see what best can be done,” Sonmez said after her practice session on Sunday.
The other foreign attractions are Croatia’s Donna Vekic, Wimbledon junior girls champion Mia Pohankova from Slovakia, a main draw wildcard entrant, and reigning Chennai Open champion Linda Fruhvirtova. The 29-year-old Vekic clinched silver in the Paris Olympics last year and reached a career-high world rank of 17 in January. However, she has been off colour this year and will look to finish the season on a positive note. New Zealand’s Lulu Sun will come into the tournament with loads of confidence after finishing runner-up in the Guangzhou Open (WTA 250 event) on Sunday.
From an Indian perspective, it is a huge opportunity for the local hopefuls to showcase their abilities at the elite level. Three Indian players, including teenager Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi, were handed singles main-draw wildcards. The 16-year-old Maaya burst on the scene when she reached the Mumbai Open (WTA 125 event) semifinals, and the crowd in Chennai will expect to see a few upsets from the Coimbatore girl.
She is set to take on another wildcard entrant, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, who was instrumental in India’s advancement to the Billie Jean King (BJK) Cup playoffs in April. For her efforts, the 23-year-old was awarded the Billie Jean King Cup Heart Award for the Asia-Oceania zone. Speaking about her opening-round match, Shrivalli said: “She (Maaya) is an amazing junior player and I got to interact with her a lot at the BJK Cup. We are pretty fond of each other and are hoping to have a great show on the court."
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