WTA Chennai Open | World no. 29 Alison Riske-Amritraj top attraction in singles event
The Chennai Open WTA 250 International Tennis Tournament will take place here from September 12 to 18. The singles event entry list is headed by world No. 29 Alison Riske-Amritraj of the United States, Elise Mertens of Belgium, and Caroline Garcia of France, who won women's doubles at French Open.
Stephen Amritraj, the son of former India Davis Cupper Anand Amritraj, is married to Riske-Amritraj. The two-parent Maria stole the show at Wimbledon earlier this year when she made history by making it to the semifinals on her 47th attempt.
After the birth of her second daughter, she embarked on a comeback journey. 21 direct acceptances were named by the WTA, according to a press statement provided here. There are 21 direct acceptances, one special exempt, four wild cards, and six qualifiers in the singles main draw.
Tamil Nadu Tennis Association president and Indian tennis legend Vijay Amritraj, was quoted as saying that the field for the first-ever WTA event to be held in the city was an inspiring one. "In the first-ever WTA event to be held in Chennai, we have an inspiring field. The top three players have impressive performances to their credit. "
He named up-and-coming 15-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova as a player to watch out for. "It reminds me of the debut of Rafael Nadal at the age of 16 at the Chennai Open then. A women's event is being held in Chennai for the very first time, it looks to me that the Chennai Open will be an exciting affair," he added.
