Chennai Open 2026 organisers under scanner after Diwali-related weather issues cause singles final postponement

Rain and fireworks-induced smog meant that the singles final could not be played on Sunday as originally scheduled. | Photo Credit: R RAGU

The postponement of the WTA 250 Chennai Open singles final due to rain and firework-induced air pollution on Sunday evening has raised questions regarding the tournament’s scheduling and the organisers’ preparedness for such a situation.

The contest, which happened to fall on Diwali, was likely to be affected by the air pollution caused by the fireworks and yet, the lack of a clear contingency plan came to the fore.

The final, set for a 6:30 p.m. start, was delayed thrice due to rain. Once the rain relented for good, the organisers dried the centre court at the SDAT Stadium in Nungambakkam and rescheduled the final at 9 p.m. However, the smog had engulfed the entire playing area by that time.

Indonesia’s Janice Tjen and Poland’s Magda Linette, the two finalists, came to the court and had a discussion with supervisor Sheetal Iyer before taking their kit bags and leaving again.

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

The match was shifted to 11 a.m. on Monday in which Linette defeated reigning champion Tjen in three sets.

Christopher Bint, Tjen’s coach, in an Instagram story late on Sunday night, claimed that the organisers wanted to conduct the final despite the extremely poor air quality. “And they still wanted the match to go ahead,” he wrote, attaching a screenshot showing an AQI of 1556 in Chennai.

Later, after Monday’s summit clash, Bint said, “Maybe, it could have just been postponed a little bit earlier.”

Linette felt the doubles final, which started at 4 p.m. on Sunday, could have been moved forward. “We should have played earlier when you know when the fireworks are starting to go off. It’s great that we can still play during a holiday. But we should have just played earlier. We should have put the doubles final way earlier which would have given us a lot of time,” said the 34-year-old Pole.

“We didn’t mind the crackers because of the noise. It was more about the pollution and the health hazard. Once we saw the numbers (AQI), Janice and I thought that first of all, we can’t put ourselves in this hazard but also, it’s not good for the ball boys or the spectators. I was really glad that the tournament organisers managed to extend it for one more day because it was just very unhealthy and we definitely wouldn’t be able to play as good tennis yesterday as we did today.”

Hiten Joshi, the tournament director, mentioned that multiple factors such as the broadcast, the communication with WTA, and the standard practice of getting as much play as possible done had to be considered before shifting the final to the reserve day.

“The supervisor had to make a final decision. And, of course, standard practice is looking to try to play as much as possible because there are so many things to be taken into account: the people who come to watch, the program that’s been already pre-arranged, travel, etc. It’s not just that we are local people and we can come tomorrow,” said Joshi.

“They (the supervisor) have to get permission from the WTA in these emergencies. So, they were going back and forth, and she also wanted to wait to see if anything was possible. Of course, the players’ safety is important.”

Joshi, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association, explained that when the tournament was allocated by the global governing body for women’s tennis, the local organisers expected the rain to be a bigger issue than Diwali.

“My main concern was rain more than the Diwali because if everything goes on time, then this (original schedule) also would have worked. Diwali day also works. If we have a cricket match on Diwali day, nobody says anything because it’s in the ground which is far away,” he said.

At this time of the year, the sports events, especially in the northern part of India, are prone to potential weather disruption and air pollution. For example, recently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced that the venue for the first ODI between India and Sri Lanka, scheduled to be played on December 13, 2026, had been shifted from Delhi to Visakhapatnam.

The change was made following a request from the Delhi and District Cricket Association in view of the potential weather disruption as well as proposed renovation work at Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium.

For the foreseeable future, this year’s WTA 250 Chennai Open was the last Tour-level event on Indian soil. The tournament has been reallocated to Manila, the Philippines, for 2027 due to the growing popularity of Filipino star Alexandra Eala as well as the current time slot being unsuitable for Chennai due to the monsoon season.