India is set to host the Chennai Open, a WTA 250 tournament, after a three-year hiatus, the WTA and Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA) jointly announced.
Taking place in the week of October 27, the Chennai Open will be played on outdoor hard courts and feature a 32-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw.
The tournament last appeared on the WTA calendar in 2022, when Linda Fruhvirtova from the Czech Republic won the singles title, while Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani won the doubles title.
“Finally, our efforts to bring a major international sporting event to Chennai have paid off, thanks to the strong support of the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT),” TNTA president and Indian tennis stalwart Vijay Amritraj said.
“The event will be broadcast on a major sports channel. I look forward to the enthusiastic participation of the Chennai public in making this event a grand success,” he added.
The Chennai Open debuted as a WTA 250 tournament in September 2022. It was the first WTA-level event in India since 2008.
The tournament, hosted at Chennai’s SDAT Tennis Stadium in Nungambakkam, was part of a one-year WTA licence granted due to cancellations in China, bringing world-class tennis back to the region.
Led by Amritraj, with robust support from the Tamil Nadu government, the event featured a 32-player singles draw, a 16-team doubles draw, and a prize pool of approximately $250,000.
The tournament garnered strong local support, with fans returning to the stadium and reigniting Chennai’s passion for tennis, although some improvements in facilities and organisation were noted.
