Chennai Open: Vaishnavi, Sahaja and Maaya Get One Final WTA 250 Chance at Home

Key points

1. The Chennai Open WTA 250 runs from November 2 to 8, 2026, at the SDAT Tennis Stadium in Chennai.
2. Vaishnavi Adkar, Sahaja Yamalapalli and Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi received wild cards into the singles main draw.
3. Vaishnavi is scheduled to play Britain's Jodie Burrage, Sahaja faces Switzerland's Simona Waltert and Maaya meets eighth seed Katarzyna Kawa of Poland.
4. All three Indian entrants are ranked outside the top 300, making the wild cards an important opportunity to earn ranking points against a WTA-level field.
5. The 2026 tournament is the third and final Chennai Open WTA 250 edition in India for now, with the WTA event set to move to the Philippines in 2027.
6. Defending champion Janice Tjen of Indonesia returns after winning the 2025 final against Australia's Kimberly Birrell 6-4, 6-3.

Vaishnavi Adkar, Sahaja Yamalapalli and Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi will have a significant opportunity to test themselves against international opposition when the Chennai Open begins on November 2. The three Indian players have received wild cards into the singles main draw of the WTA 250 event, which runs until November 8 at the SDAT Tennis Stadium in Chennai.

The 2026 tournament carries added significance: it is set to be the final WTA 250 edition in India for now, with the event moving to the Philippines in 2027. For the Indian players, the home tournament offers a rare chance to compete at this level without first having to qualify through the regular ranking pathway.

Three Indian wild cards, three different tests

Adkar, Yamalapalli and Maaya are all ranked outside the world's top 300, leaving them with limited opportunities to enter WTA 250 main draws directly. The Chennai wild cards therefore offer more than a home appearance. Strong performances can provide ranking points and experience against players accustomed to the demands of the main tour.

Adkar is scheduled to begin against Britain's Jodie Burrage, while Yamalapalli faces Switzerland's Simona Waltert, ranked 128 in the world in the tournament preview. Maaya, 17, has the difficult task of opening against Poland's eighth seed Katarzyna Kawa, listed at world No. 106.

Maaya arrives with a recent milestone behind her. In October, she won her maiden professional singles title at the W35 Lagos tournament, defeating Spain's Celia Cervino Ruiz in the final. She also secured the doubles title in Lagos. The step up from the ITF circuit to a WTA 250 main draw is substantial, making the Chennai matches a useful measure of where her game stands against established professionals.

A final WTA 250 edition in India

The Chennai Open has been staged in 2022, 2025 and 2026. The WTA calendar lists the 2026 tournament from November 2 to 8 on outdoor hard courts at the SDAT Tennis Stadium. The singles draw has 32 places, with a 16-team doubles competition also scheduled.

The move of the WTA 250 event away from India means the Chennai tournament is a particularly important platform for the country's current group of professional women players. The wild cards give the three Indian entrants access to a level of competition that their present rankings would not routinely provide.

The previous two editions offer a clear benchmark for the home challenge. No Indian singles player progressed beyond the second round in 2022 or 2025. The local contingent will be aiming to improve on that record in this final scheduled Indian edition.

Withdrawals reshape the field

The tournament field has changed in the days leading up to the start, with four players from the original direct-entry list and three from the qualifying roster withdrawing, according to the tournament preview carried by PTI. Among the notable withdrawals were Thailand's Lanlana Tararudee, Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva and Germany's Tatjana Maria.

The withdrawals have altered the balance of the draw, although the remaining international field still presents a demanding test for the Indian players. The Chennai event is also being staged in the same week as the WTA 250 tournament in Hong Kong, which has attracted a stronger group of highly ranked players.

Janice Tjen returns to defend her title

Indonesia's Janice Tjen returns as defending champion after winning the 2025 final against Australia's Kimberly Birrell 6-4, 6-3. That victory delivered Tjen her maiden WTA singles title. She went on to reach a career-high ranking of 35 during 2026, and the Chennai tournament offers her a chance to revisit the venue where she made that breakthrough.

Tjen's title defence adds an established storyline to a tournament that otherwise presents an open field. Tamil Nadu Tennis Association president Vijay Amritraj described the draw as wide open at the ceremony, while also noting that Chennai's heat and humidity could make fitness a decisive factor during the week.

Opportunity for Indian tennis

For Adkar, Yamalapalli and Maaya, the immediate task is to turn their wild cards into competitive performances. The ranking gap to many of their opponents is considerable, but the value of a home WTA event lies in the chance to experience the pace, physical demands and tactical level of tour competition.

The Chennai Open's final scheduled WTA 250 edition in India also gives local supporters a clear reason to follow the three Indian entries closely. Their results will be measured not only by how far they progress, but also by how effectively they use a rare opportunity to compete on home soil at this level.