CHENNAI: World no. 29 Alison Riske Amritraj, who is making a comeback and Belgium’s Elise Mertens, a semifinalist at the Australian Open in 2018 and doubles winner with Sabalenka at Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2021 will be the top draws at the WTA Chennai Open to be held from September 12 to 18.
The WTA (Women's Tennis Association) released the players’ list on Tuesday. The main draw comprises 32 players out of which 21 are direct acceptances, 1 special exempt, 4 wild cards and 6 qualifiers. The qualifying draw of 24 players consists of 20 direct acceptances and 4 wild cards.
Speaking on the draw, Vijay Amritraj, president of Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA), said, “In the first ever WTA event to be held in Chennai we have an inspiring field.
The top three players have an impressive performance to their credit. Alison is making a comeback followed by Elise Mertens. Caroline Garcia of Spain has been the singles quarterfinalist and doubles champion at the French Open in 2017 and 2022.
There are records of a kind being rewritten here as a mother of two, the seventh seed Tatjana Maria of Germany is in the fray along with a young and upcoming 15-year-old sensation Linda Fruhvirtova from Czech Republic.”
Players’ list: Alison Riske Amritraj, Elise Mertens, Oksana Selekhmeteva, Anna Blinkova, Caroline Garcia, Anastasia Gasanova, Varvara Gracheva, Linda Fruhvirtova, Magda Linette, Katarzyna Kawa, Rebecca Peterson, Yanina Wickmayer, Tatjana Maria, Qiang Wang, Victoria Jimenez, Chloe Paquet, Arianne Hartono, Rebecca Marino, Joanne Zuger, Moyuka Uchuima and Katie Swan.
