Returning to the SDAT Tennis Stadium in Nungambakkam where her 2022 runner-up run preceded her maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the 2023 Australian Open, Polish 5th seed Magda Linette (POL, 68 · UTR 11.95) defeated Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima (JPN, 123 · UTR 11.73) 7-6(5), 6-0 in 1 hour and 42 minutes on Thursday at the 2026 WTA 250 Chennai Open — crediting Chennai’s smoother weather this week, an improved earlier-start match schedule with bigger recovery gaps, and the tournament’s warm Indian hospitality for helping her rediscover her groove.
Smoother Week & Earlier Starts
Comparing 2026 with her 2022 runner-up visit, Linette pointed to luckier weather and earlier start times that give players a bigger recovery gap between matches in the Chennai heat and humidity.
“I Really Like Playing in India”
Linette praised the player hotel as “amazing” in both 2022 and 2026 and emphasized that her fondness for competing in India is the primary reason she returned to Chennai.
Rediscovering Her Groove at SDAT
After a 3-hour, 35-minute R32 battle against Aliona Falei (BLR, 210), Linette reeled off 10 of the final 11 points/games from 5-5 in the Set 1 tiebreak against Uchijima to storm into the last 8.
Breaking Right Back in a 66-Minute Opener Before Rolling 6-0 in Set 2
Coming off a grueling 3-hour, 35-minute Round of 32 victory over qualifier Aliona Falei (BLR, 210 · UTR 11.81) 2 days earlier, 5th seed Linette (POL, 68 · UTR 11.95) dropped serve in the opening game against Uchijima (JPN, 123 · UTR 11.73) before breaking straight back for 1-1, saving a break point in Game 3, and winning 4 of the final 5 points from 3-4 in the tiebreak to claim the 66-minute 1st set 7-6(5). With the momentum firmly in hand under the Chennai sun, the 34-year-old Pole converted all 3 of her break-point games in a 36-minute 2nd set to close out a 7-6(5), 6-0 victory and set up a quarterfinal clash with Japan’s Mai Hontama (JPN, 160 · UTR 11.82).
Immediate break back at 0-1 in Set 1 and 8 straight games won across the tiebreak and Set 2
After erasing Uchijima’s opening-game break for 1-1 and saving a break point at 1-1, 40-A, Linette clinched the Set 1 tiebreak 7-5 and swept all 6 games of the 2nd set while converting 4 of 4 break-point games (100%) for the match.
| Round | Match | Score | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| R16 | [5] Magda Linette (POL, 68 · UTR 11.95) def. Moyuka Uchijima (JPN, 123 · UTR 11.73) | 7-6(5), 6-0 | Broke right back from 0-1 in Set 1 and swept all 6 games of Set 2 in 1h 42m. |
| R32 | [5] Magda Linette (POL, 68 · UTR 11.95) def. [Q] Aliona Falei (BLR, 210 · UTR 11.81) | 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-2 | Won the final 5 consecutive games from 1-2 down in Set 3 in a 3h 35m marathon. |
“Honestly, we are being so much luckier with the weather, so I think it is more smooth — and the schedule is a little bit better, that we start earlier and give ourselves a bit of a bigger gap. The hotel is amazing — honestly, last time it was as well amazing. That is why I came back, because I really like the event and I like playing in India.”
Magda Linette · Post-Match Press Conference Q&A
Regarding your previous visit in 2022 — when you finished runner-up here — and this time, have you noticed any difference in the tournament, the conditions, or the players?
Honestly, I mean we are being so much luckier with the weather, so I think it is more smooth — so that is great, because I think also the schedule is being a little bit better, that we start earlier and we give ourselves a bit of a bigger gap, so that is great. The hotel is amazing — honestly, last time it was as well amazing. So yeah, no, that is why I came back, because I really like the event, I like playing in India, so yeah, it is good. It is tough to say [any other difference], because it is really the same venue and everything is pretty much the same — yeah, it is good.
You were here back in 2022 where you finished runner-up, and then after just a few months you went on to reach your maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the 2023 Australian Open. Being back here in Chennai, does that bring back good memories?
Yeah, actually yeah — and I feel like I had a bit worse time recently, and I started getting my groove back, which is great. So yeah, definitely, definitely it helps and brings back good memories.
Magda, do you want to start off by talking a little bit through the match and how it went from your point of view?
Well, obviously it was a very tough 1st set, which I kind of expected, so I was really glad that after the 1st break I managed to break right back, and then stay really strong throughout the whole set, so I was really glad that I managed to win the tiebreak.
Just wanted to check — is Agnieszka Radwanska still in a consultancy role in your team, or is that over?
Yeah, yeah — she is around 10 to 12 weeks a year. So she was with me in Beijing, and that was her last tournament this year, and we will come back from the preseason again.
Can you take us through what role Radwanska plays in those 10 to 12 weeks — what she has added to your game and how she helps you?
Because she is the consultant, obviously she cannot travel full-time, so we go around 10 to 12 weeks, and usually she tries to cover the biggest tournaments — so it is Grand Slams and 1000s. That is when we try to see, and also we need to adapt a little bit to her schedule because she has her own commitments — she actually played in a tournament like 2 weeks ago! So we just try to figure it out as much as she can, and then I try to fill up the gaps with additional people.
“You just try not to panic, and you do not find any excuses. You put the work in and you put yourself out there — I just believed that there would be a moment where I would finally find my groove again, and I am.”
You mentioned that recently you have not had a very good run of tournaments. Having reflected on and analyzed it, was there anything in particular that was not clicking in your game, or was it the mental part of it?
I think it was a combination of things — it is just sports as well. You have a few tough draws, and then you lose a bit of your self-confidence, and then you lose from match points, and it just sometimes spirals down — you do not even know when it happens. So I think it was important to just keep working and putting yourself out there, which is not easy, and that is what I did, so I am glad that I am being slowly rewarded for that.
You have played at the highest level and competed with the best players. Can you tell us what is the difference between an average player on the tour and the 1 who not only succeeds, but repeats that success?
Well, I think there are really so many different reasons — it is such a broad question. I think 1 is just the game in general, that some players can deliver great tennis constantly. And then the level is still very close — so whatever happened to me, like when you just start losing a little bit of self-confidence, players are tough, and it does not matter if they are Top 100 or Top 200, they all know how to play and they all know how to win matches. So you just have to make sure that you stay tough, especially in those moments when you can feel you have a little bit of an advantage. And I think that is what good players do — they can sense that moment, and they can deliver at those moments.
To add on to the previous question, after a stretch of early-round exits in recent months, how do you make a comeback keeping that in mind? Coming to Chennai, you are in the quarterfinals now — how much will this push your confidence, and how do you play tournament after tournament when things are not clicking?
Well, again, it is basically the same — you just try not to panic, and you do not find any excuses. You put the work in and you put yourself out there, which is not easy because you get a lot of criticism, and it is not easy to go out there and try to work on things and again fail, and fail again. But I just decided this year to do it, to go through with it, because it is necessary in sports — you have ups and downs, and I just believed that there would be a moment where I would finally find my groove again, and I am. So I am really glad that I proved myself right to just keep going, keep practicing, and eventually you put yourself out there and you are going to be rewarded — because there is no golden rule of what is going to happen, you just have to go out there in those stressful moments and finally deliver.
Playing in your 30s and reaching the quarterfinals here, do you think players like you and Jessica Pegula are changing the perception that a tennis player’s peak has to come in their 20s? And what is 1 thing about life on the WTA Tour — particularly for players outside the Top 20 — that fans generally misunderstand?
No, not at all! You put me like in a grave or something — like, “at my age!” I am 34 — I know I am older, but I am not 70! (Laughs) No, I think we are not at all, because the people before us did it for us — I think Serena [Williams] did it before, Venus [Williams] did it way before, and on the men’s side Roger [Federer] did it before, Novak [Djokovic] did it before. What I think I am having a big influence on — and I am trying to have an influence on — is just putting out there that there is the maternity fund, and that you can still be smart and keep playing and not have that dilemma if you would like to have children or not. That is what I am trying mostly to put out there, because as you said, there are more players my age, and whenever we feel that we can have this opportunity to start a family a bit later and it is okay, it keeps us open to just keep playing — because physically, people proved way before us that it is possible.
And on what fans do not see on tour: I think that tennis is just such a small part actually of everything that it entails in a day, because you have so much logistics behind what you have to do — you book your own flights, you book your own hotel, you travel, you go on a train, and you do it all yourself. It is not like you have an agent and you are just going on a private jet — no, you fly economy, you go on a bus whenever you have to go, you have to pack and unpack, it is a hotel, and you do not really have time to visit. So it is way more logistics — not that it is bad, it is just way more logistics than people can think of, because it is week in and week out, and then you have to plan ahead of time: you have your visas you have to take care of, and if your team is from different countries, you have to figure that out as well. So I think tennis is quite a small part of the day compared to other stuff.
Next Round Schedule · Singles Quarterfinal
| Round | Match | Court | Scheduled Start Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| QF | [5] Magda Linette (POL, 68 · UTR 11.95) vs. Mai Hontama (JPN, 160 · UTR 11.82) | SDAT Tennis Stadium | Nov 6 · 10:00 AM IST |
