‘Terrible AQI’ forces Chennai WTA final postponement despite push to play

The post-Diwali celebration postponed the Chennai Open singles final between top seed Janice Tjen and Magda Linette to Monday morning after post-cracker smog engulfed the SDAT Tennis Stadium on Sunday evening. The two finalists pointed out the bad, ‘unbreathable’ air quality and left the court despite the push to play from the organisers. While Tjen, the defending champion, was seeking to become the first repeat winner in Chennai, Linette, a two-time finalist here, was bidding for her first title in more than two years.

Tjen’s social media post told the entire story. It was a repost of her coach Chris Bint’s, which captured the Chennai smog, with the AQI reading an alarming 1556. Bint’s Instagram post read, “And they still wanted the match to go ahead.”

“The skies opened soon after the conclusion of the doubles final, and heavy smoke later engulfed the SDAT Tennis Stadium due to Diwali fireworks, preventing the singles championship match from getting underway,” the official statement said.

Meanwhile, Naima Karamoko and Simona Waltert were the doubles champions, beating Indian pair Vaishnavi Adkar and Rutuja Bhosale 6-2, 6-0. Just after their match, rain first delayed the WTA final, with the organisers announcing a 9 PM start, before rescheduling it to 11 AM on Monday, the tournament’s reserve day.

According to an Indian Express report, unplayable conditions greeted the players upon their arrival at the SDAT Stadium, where thick smog severely restricted visibility across the city—with Chennai briefly topping AQI.in’s live global pollution rankings.

The two finalists had reservations about the match going ahead as scheduled, and after a brief discussion with the tournament supervisor, Sheetal Iyer, they packed their bags and left the court. It is also reported that the organisers did push for the event to go ahead as planned, but as the situation worsened, they had to postpone the event. Also, the broadcasters raised concerns about the visibility at the venue end; the final was eventually called off on Sunday following lengthy discussions.

“This is the first time that I’ve played in this environment. Definitely not easy. I’m pretty sure it’s also not easy for any players as well because we’re so used playing in a quiet environment, so I think it was just trying to be focused there,” Tjen said after her semifinal win.