Chennai Open 2026: Defending champion Janice Tjen returns as top seed for WTA 250 event

Defending champion Janice Tjen will return to Chennai as the top seed for the WTA 250 Chennai Open 2026. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Defending champion Janice Tjen of Indonesia will return to Chennai as the top seed for the third edition of the Chennai Open WTA 250 tournament, scheduled to be held from November 2 to 8 at the SDAT Tennis Stadium in Nungambakkam.

The 24-year-old, ranked World No. 49, headlines the 23-player main draw entry list announced on Friday, which includes 11 players ranked inside the world’s top 100. According to the organisers, the tournament will feature representation from 22 countries, its highest so far.

Tjen will become the first Asian player to be seeded No. 1 at the tournament and will face competition from Austrian teenager Lilli Tagger, the reigning French Open junior champion, who is ranked 61st and seeded second.

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Thailand’s Lanlana Tararudee (World No. 63) is the third seed, followed by Hungary’s Panna Udvardy and Poland’s Magda Linette, who finished runner-up at the inaugural edition in 2022.

Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva, a former top-20 player and Grand Slam quarterfinalist, is another notable entrant. The field also includes Polina Kudermetova of Uzbekistan, Serbia’s 19-year-old Teodora Kostovic and Joanna Garland of Chinese Taipei, who reached the semifinals in Chennai last year.

Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA) president Vijay Amritraj welcomed the strength of the field and highlighted the introduction of electronic line calling across all three match courts, a first for a tennis tournament in India, according to the organisers.

The SDAT stadium is also undergoing preparations, including the relaying of its court surfaces, ahead of the tournament.

The event carries a total prize purse of USD 283,347, with the singles champion receiving USD 37,390 and 250 ranking points. The runner-up will earn USD 22,125 and 163 points.

Season tickets will be available at Rs 7,500, Rs 4,500 and Rs 3,000, with the organisers expected to announce the commencement of sales shortly.

Sheetal Iyer will serve as tournament supervisor, becoming the first Indian woman to hold the position at a WTA 250 tournament in the country, while Abhishek Mukherjee will be the referee.