Chennai Open Suspended as Cyclone Montha Approaches City

Play at the WTA 250 tournament in Chennai has been suspended for a second consecutive day as Cyclone Montha approaches the region, causing significant disruption. The Chennai Open is one of three WTA Tour events scheduled for this week, marking the final week of the regular season on the women’s circuit. All matches on Monday and Tuesday were cancelled due to heavy rainfall and unsafe conditions, leaving players and fans waiting for the event to resume.

Tournament organisers had hoped to kick off the competition after the qualifying rounds concluded over the weekend. However, the cyclone’s impact has resulted in the cancellation of flights in the area and further delays to the tournament schedule. Among those affected is British No. 3 Fran Jones, who is eager to start her campaign in this critical week.

As the weather forecast begins to show signs of improvement, tournament officials are now planning to complete all first-round matches on Wednesday. Jones is set to face qualifier Mei Yamaguchi in the second match on Court 1. Another British player, Eden Silva, will compete in the doubles draw alongside partner Amina Anshba.

On the Centre Court, Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekic will also be in action, alongside top seed Zeynep Sonmez, who is scheduled to play her opening match on the second-largest court. Additionally, Storm Hunter, a promising doubles player, will participate in the singles event.

In parallel, two other WTA 250 events are taking place this week in Hong Kong and Jiujiang. In Hong Kong, British player Katie Boulter, who was the runner-up at the event last year, faced a challenging start. She was forced to retire from her opening match against Alexandra Eala due to an injury while trailing at 6-4, 2-1.

Despite Boulter’s setback, top seeds Belinda Bencic and Leylah Fernandez launched their campaigns with victories. Bencic is currently on a five-match unbeaten streak after winning the title in Tokyo the previous week. Meanwhile, at the Jiangxi Open, No. 1 seed Ann Li was unable to maintain her momentum from the Guangzhou Open, losing her first match to Zhuoxuan Bai.

As the situation develops in Chennai, players and fans alike are hoping for a swift return to action once Cyclone Montha passes.