Linette comes from behind, bags fourth Tour-level title

Magda Linette wasn’t too keen on playing 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.

The summit clash was originally scheduled for Sunday before being shifted to the reserve day due to rain and Deepavali fireworks-induced smog.

Amidst the cacophony of firecrackers bursting sporadically in the distance, the contest began at 11 a.m. with 600-odd spectators on the centre court at the SDAT Stadium and under a clear sky.

The first set had been on a knife edge till World No. 68 Linette misjudged a loopy forehand from the top-seeded Indonesian.

Tjen, after wasting five, finally converted a break point with a forehand down the line to take a 6-5 lead before serving the 64-minute opener out.

However, her level dropped in the second essay — her first serve % dipped from 67 to 58 and she also made three double faults. Linette, growing in confidence, broke her serve twice. 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.

After falling behind early in the third set, Tjen hit a crosscourt backhand drop shot and an inside-out forehand to break back Linette in a marathon sixth game. But the Pole restored her advantage immediately before losing just one point in her next two service games, sealing the victory in two hours and 43 minutes.

Linette dedicated her triumph to the victims of a mass shooting at Krakow in her home country. “I just want to say that my heart and wishes are with all the victims and those who are hurt,” she said.

Earlier, in the doubles final on Sunday, the Swiss pair of Naima Karamoko and Simona Waltert defeated the all-Indian duo of Vaishnavi Adkar and Rutuja Bhosale 6-2, 6-0.