Linette defeats Tjen in three-set thriller to claim Chennai Open 2026, dedicates win to victims of Kraków mass shooting
Magda Linette, the third-seeded Pole, defeated reigning champion Janice Tjen 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 in a thrilling final on Monday to claim her fourth Tour-level title and first since Prague (2024).
Updated : Nov 09, 2026 21:05 IST , CHENNAI - 5 MINS READ
Magda Linette defeated Janice Tjen in three sets to secure the Chennai Open 2026 title. | Photo Credit: RAGU R
Magda Linette defeated Janice Tjen in three sets to secure the Chennai Open 2026 title. | Photo Credit: RAGU R
Magda Linette wasn’t too keen on playing at the WTA 250 Chennai Open after a round-of-16 loss in Guangzhou. But the decision had already been made by her team.
Linette, the third-seeded Pole, didn’t have much to complain about in the end as she beat reigning champion Janice Tjen 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 in a thrilling final on Monday to claim her fourth Tour-level title and first since Prague (2024).
The summit clash was originally scheduled for Sunday before being shifted to the reserve day due to rain and Diwali fireworks-induced smog.
The contest began at 11 a.m. with 600-odd spectators on the centre court at the SDAT Stadium in Nungambakkam here under a clear sky amidst the cacophony of firecrackers bursting sporadically in the distance.
The first set had been on a knife edge till World No. 68 Linette misjudged a loopy forehand from the top-seeded Indonesian. After wasting five, the 24-year-old Tjen finally converted a break point with a forehand down the line to take a 6-5 lead. A clearly frustrated Linette whacked one ball into the top tier, resulting in a code violation. The Indonesian bagged the 64-minute opener when the Pole netted a 127km/h second serve with a crosscourt backhand return.
However, World No. 75 Tjen’s level dropped in the second essay - her first serve percentage dipped from 67 to 58. She made two double faults in the second game and one in the sixth. Linette, growing in confidence, broke her in both those games.
Before the decider, the match had to be suspended for 10 minutes due to “extreme weather conditions” with the temperature exceeding 30.1 degrees Celsius.
It also gave Tjen a brief window to gain her composure although she didn’t make the ideal start in the decider and dropped her serve to trail 1-2.
But in a marathon sixth game, Tjen hit a crosscourt backhand drop shot to earn her sixth break point and unleashed an inside-out forehand to break back Linette.
At this point, Linette couldn’t help but think of her final from the inaugural edition of the same tournament in 2022 where she squandered a 4-1 lead in the decider against Czechia’s Linda Fruhvirtova.
“When I lost that break, I told myself ‘not again’ because that’s what happened to me last time. I was 4-1 up with a break point opportunity to go 5-1 up and I lost that match. I was like, if that happened to me again, I’ll be so upset,” Linette told reporters after the win.
“So, I’m glad that we actually had new balls (at 3-3) because that’s where I was struggling with the timing. I needed a bit of help from the balls.”
After showing great determination to restore parity, Tjen let herself down immediately. With Linette leading 30-15 courtesy a superb inside-out backhand return winner, the Indonesian committed a double fault. She served a 190km/h ace down the T and executed another well-placed serve out wide in the ad court to make it a deuce game.
The Pole brought up her third chance as she drew Tjen into a crosscourt forehand exchange before the latter netted one in her attempt to change the direction of the rally.
In perhaps the point of the match, the 34-year-old Linette displayed excellent court coverage as she rushed in to respond to a drop shot from Tjen, then tracked back to retrieve the following lob before rushing in again to reply to another drop with a backhand winner down the line.
Linette lost just one point in her next two service games, sealing the victory in two hours 43 minutes when Tjen hit a forehand down the line return wide. It also marked the end of Tour-level tennis in India for the foreseeable future as the event has been reallocated to Manila, the Philippines, in 2027.
Linette dedicated her triumph to the victims of a mass shooting in Kraków in her home country in which six people have died, with 17 injured.
“As much as I’m so happy, it’s hard to celebrate because of what happened in Poland, in Kraków. I just want to say that my heart and wishes are with all the victims and those who are hurt. In these tough moments, we can really thank and appreciate one another and give that person next to us an extra hug today,” she said during the presentation ceremony.
Ending the year with a title, Linette is set to return to Top 50 in the WTA Rankings.
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