Chennai: The International Women's Open Tennis Tournament kicked off on Monday, September 12, at the SDAT Stadium in Nungambakkam in Chennai. The one-week event, scheduled to last till September 18, will see the participation of international-level athletes. This is the first time since 2008 that the WTA 250 is making a comeback in India with the tournament.
These matches are held in two categories - singles and doubles. 32 players will compete in singles and 32 players in doubles. Out of the 32 players participating in the women's singles competition, 26 players are direct qualifiers. The remaining six players will go through the qualifying round to play in the main round. 250 points will be awarded to the player who wins the Chennai Open series. Prize money of Rs 2 crore has been announced for the winners of this series. Indian players said that it is a pleasure to hold a women's tennis tournament in India for the first time.
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Among the Indian players, Ankita Raina and Karman Kaur Thandi have got wild cards for the tournament. India's top singles player Ankita (world ranking 139) will take on the world ranking 85th-ranked Maria of Germany in the first round. In terms of rankings, the country's second top player Kerman (365 in the world ranking) will face France's eighth seed Chloe Péquet (world ranking 111) in the first round.
