Chennai Open 2026: Vaishnavi Adkar, Maaya Rajeshwaran and Sahaja Yamalapalli Eye Breakthrough Wins in WTA 250 Main Draw

Three Indian women will have an opportunity to make their mark on the international tennis circuit when the main draw of the WTA 250 Chennai Open 2026 gets underway at the SDAT Stadium in Nungambakkam on Monday, November 2.

Vaishnavi Adkar, Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi and Sahaja Yamalapalli have received wild cards into the singles main draw of the third edition of the tournament. With appearances at WTA Tour-level events remaining relatively rare for Indian players, the trio will be looking to capitalise on the opportunity to compete against higher-ranked international opponents.

The tournament also presents a significant opportunity for Indian women's tennis, particularly with two of the country's emerging players, Vaishnavi and Maaya, competing alongside the more experienced Sahaja.

World No. 334 Vaishnavi Adkar, currently India's highest-ranked women's singles player, faces a challenging opening-round encounter against Britain's Jodie Burrage.

The 21-year-old Indian will take on a player who has previously reached World No. 85. Burrage, 27, has entered the Chennai main draw using a protected ranking of 149, making her a potentially difficult opponent despite her current ranking circumstances.

For Vaishnavi, however, the occasion is about gaining experience rather than carrying the expectations associated with being India's leading player. “Playing as India No. 1 is not really what I’m focusing on right now. It’s a big opportunity. I just want to focus on improving my game, playing against the higher-ranked players and give my best out there,” Vaishnavi said during Saturday's draw ceremony.

Her opening match will provide an important assessment of her ability to compete at a higher level. The experience of facing a former top-100 player could prove valuable regardless of the outcome, although a victory would represent a significant achievement.

Maaya Rajeshwaran and Sahaja Yamalapalli face difficult draws

Seventeen-year-old Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi, who recently captured her maiden senior-level title, will face Poland's World No. 106 Katarzyna Kawa. The match represents another important step in Maaya's transition towards senior professional tennis. Her recent title-winning performance provides encouragement, but the jump to WTA 250 competition will demand greater consistency against an experienced international opponent.

Meanwhile, 26-year-old Sahaja Yamalapalli has been drawn against Switzerland's World No. 128 Simona Waltert.

Sahaja will be hoping to use her experience on the professional circuit to challenge the Swiss player. With all three Indians entering as wild cards, their performances will be closely watched as an indication of the country's progress in women's singles tennis.

India's hopes of securing additional places in the main draw ended after all four home players were eliminated in the opening round of qualifying. Fourteen-year-old Jensi Kanabar produced the most competitive performance among the Indians, pushing fifth seed Weronika Falkowska of Poland to three sets before losing 2-6, 7-5, 3-6.

Jensi's ability to recover from losing the opening set and force a decider offered a glimpse of her potential against more experienced opposition. Elsewhere, Diya Ramesh lost 4-6, 2-6 to Japan's second-seeded Kyoka Okamura, while Shrivalli Bhamidipaty suffered a 2-6, 3-6 defeat against Slovakia's Viktoria Morvayova.

Zeel Desai was beaten 1-6, 0-6 by third seed Mei Yamaguchi of Japan, completing a disappointing qualifying campaign for the Indian contingent. The results leave Vaishnavi, Maaya and Sahaja as India's three representatives in the singles main draw.

Withdrawals leave Chennai Open title race wide open

The Chennai Open has also been affected by withdrawals, considerably changing the composition of the field. Four players from the original direct-entry list and three from the qualifying roster have withdrawn because of injury, illness or scheduling changes.

Among the notable absentees are Thailand's World No. 57 Lanlana Tararudee, Kazakhstan's World No. 67 Yulia Putintseva and Germany's World No. 70 Tatjana Maria, a former Wimbledon semifinalist. The withdrawals have further weakened a field that was already competing for player participation with the WTA 250 tournament in Hong Kong, which attracted several top-50 players.

Defending champion and World No. 47 Janice Tjen of Indonesia will begin her campaign against American wild card Katherine Hui, a former junior US Open champion. Second seed Lilli Tagger of Austria and Britain's World No. 115 Harriet Dart are also included in the draw, although their participation could be influenced by their appearance in Sunday's Guangzhou Open final.

Tamil Nadu Tennis Association president Vijay Amritraj believes the tournament remains unpredictable. “The tournament draw is very heavy in the middle. It is wide open and anyone can win it,” he said.

For the three Indian wild cards, the changing field could provide an opportunity to make a deeper run if they overcome their opening opponents. More importantly, the Chennai Open offers exposure to Tour-level competition on home soil, an opportunity that remains limited for India's women professionals.

With Vaishnavi seeking to consolidate her position as India's No. 1, Maaya continuing her development and Sahaja targeting a significant result, the opening round will offer an important test of Indian women's tennis against international opposition.