14-year-old wild card Jensi Kanabar (IND, UNR · UTR 10.62) converted her 6th set point in a 63-minute 2nd set to force a decider against 5th seed Weronika Falkowska (POL, 287 · UTR 11.39) before falling 2-6, 7-5, 3-6 in 2 hours 22 minutes as 4 Indian players contested Saturday’s opening qualifying round at the 2026 WTA 250 Chennai Open in Nungambakkam.
Qualifying Round 1 Report · Singles
After dropping a 32-minute opening set 2-6 on Court 1, 14-year-old wild card Jensi Kanabar (IND, UNR · UTR 10.62) traded breaks with 5th seed Weronika Falkowska (POL, 287 · UTR 11.39) across a 63-minute 2nd set and converted her 6th set point in a 17-point 12th game to win 7-5 and level the contest. Kanabar opened a 40-0 lead on serve at 3-4 in the 3rd set and generated 2 break points in the 8th game before Falkowska reeled off 5 straight points from 40-0 down to break and closed out the 2-hour 22-minute battle 6-2, 5-7, 6-3.
On Centre Court, wild card Diya Ramesh (IND, UNR · UTR 9.75) saved 4 break points in a 17-point 4th game and traded 4 service breaks in a 53-minute opening set before 2nd seed Kyoka Okamura (JPN, 241 · UTR 11.35) prevailed 6-4, 6-2 in 1 hour 36 minutes. Elsewhere in Qualifying Round 1, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty (IND, 623 · UTR 10.96) broke in the opening game of both sets before falling 2-6, 3-6 in 1 hour 10 minutes to 4th seed Viktoria Morvayova (SVK, 274 · UTR 11.25), while Zeel Desai (IND, 610 · UTR 10.17) bowed out 1-6, 0-6 in 1 hour 18 minutes against 3rd seed Mei Yamaguchi (JPN, 257 · UTR 11.04).
6th set point converted in Set 2 and a 40-0 swing at 3-4 in the 3rd set
Serving at 6-5 in Set 2, Kanabar fended off a break point and converted her 6th set point across a 17-point marathon game to force a decider. In the 3rd set, the 14-year-old erased an early 0-2 deficit to level at 2-2 and led 40-0 on serve at 3-4 before Falkowska strung together 5 consecutive points for the decisive break.
2 Hours 22 Minutes
14-year-old Jensi Kanabar (IND, UNR · UTR 10.62) contested the longest match of Qualifying Day 1 against 5th seed Falkowska.
53-Minute 1st Set
Wild card Diya Ramesh (IND, UNR · UTR 9.75) saved 4 break points in a 17-point Game 4 against 2nd seed Okamura.
3 Indian Wild Cards
Vaishnavi Adkar (IND, 334), Sahaja Yamalapalli (IND, 369), and Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi (IND, 646) enter the 32-player main draw.
[WC] Jensi Kanabar (IND, UNR · UTR 10.62) · Qualifying Singles Results
| Round | Match | Score | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | [5] Weronika Falkowska (POL, 287 · UTR 11.39) def. [WC] Jensi Kanabar (IND, UNR · UTR 10.62) | 2-6, 7-5, 3-6 | Converted her 6th set point in Set 2 and led 40-0 at 3-4 in the decider in a 2h 22m battle. |
[WC] Diya Ramesh (IND, UNR · UTR 9.75) · Qualifying Singles Results
| Round | Match | Score | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | [2] Kyoka Okamura (JPN, 241 · UTR 11.35) def. [WC] Diya Ramesh (IND, UNR · UTR 9.75) | 4-6, 2-6 | Saved 4 break points in a 17-point Game 4 of the 53-minute opening set across a 1h 36m contest. |
Shrivalli Bhamidipaty (IND, 623 · UTR 10.96) · Qualifying Singles Results
| Round | Match | Score | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | [4] Viktoria Morvayova (SVK, 274 · UTR 11.25) def. Shrivalli Bhamidipaty (IND, 623 · UTR 10.96) | 2-6, 3-6 | Broke serve in the opening game of both sets before Morvayova converted 6 break points in 1h 10m. |
Zeel Desai (IND, 610 · UTR 10.17) · Qualifying Singles Results
| Round | Match | Score | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | [3] Mei Yamaguchi (JPN, 257 · UTR 11.04) def. Zeel Desai (IND, 610 · UTR 10.17) | 1-6, 0-6 | Held from 15-40 in Game 5 of the opening set in a 1h 18m qualifying clash. |
3 Indian Wild Cards Headline 32-Player Singles Main Draw
Saturday’s singles main-draw ceremony was conducted at SDAT Tennis Stadium by tournament supervisor Sheetal Iyer in the presence of Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA) President Vijay Amritraj. Defending champion and 1st seed Janice Tjen (INA) leads the 32-player singles draw ahead of 2nd seed Lilli Tagger (AUT), 3rd seed Magda Linette (POL), and 4th seed Panna Udvardy (HUN), while Vaishnavi Adkar (IND, 334 · UTR 11.42), Sahaja Yamalapalli (IND, 369 · UTR 11.33), and Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi (IND, 646 · UTR 11.09) headline India’s singles challenge as main-draw wild cards. In the doubles main draw, 4 pairings feature Indian players: Rutuja Bhosale (IND, 152) partnering Vaishnavi Adkar (IND, 434), Ankita Raina (IND, 219) partnering Hiroko Kuwata (JPN, 170), and wild-card duos Shrivalli Bhamidipaty (IND, 431) with Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi (IND, 1282) plus Diya Ramesh (IND, UNR) with Deepshika Vinayagamurthy (IND, 1344).
