Janice Tjen reiterates issue of poor air quality after Chennai Open final is rescheduled

Janice Tjen, the reigning Chennai Open champion, reposted her coach’s (Christopher Bint) story in which he claimed the organisers wanted to go ahead with the final despite the extremely poor air quality. | Photo Credit: R. Ragu

Indonesia’s Janice Tjen reiterated concerns over poor air quality in Chennai after her singles final at the WTA 250 Chennai Open was postponed until Monday.

The summit clash was scheduled to take place after the doubles final, with a 6:30 p.m. start on Sunday. While the doubles fixture finished without any interruption, the singles final was delayed thrice due to rain. The rain finally let up, allowing organisers to dry the centre court at the SDAT Stadium in Nungambakkam and announce that the contest would start at 9 p.m.

However, an hour after that update, play was called off due to smog caused by Diwali firecrackers, which created visibility issues. AccuWeather described the air quality as “unhealthy” at the time.

Tjen, the reigning Chennai Open champion, reposted her coach Christopher Bint’s Instagram story, in which he claimed that the organisers wanted to go ahead with the final despite the extremely poor air quality. “And they still wanted the match to go ahead,” she wrote on Instagram, attaching a screenshot showing an AQI of 1556 in Chennai.

The Tamil Nadu Tennis Association has announced that spectators holding valid tickets for Sunday’s play will be allowed to enter the venue on Monday with the same tickets.

For the foreseeable future, this will be the last Tour-level event on Indian soil. The tournament has been reallocated to Manila, the Philippines, for 2027.