4 years after letting a 4-1 3rd-set lead slip in the 2022 Chennai Open championship match, 3rd seed Magda Linette (POL, 68) completed her redemption at the SDAT Tennis Stadium on Monday, rallying past 1st seed Janice Tjen (INA, 75) 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 in 2 hours and 52 minutes to capture the 2026 WTA 250 Chennai Open singles title. Speaking to reporters after receiving the winner’s silver salver trophy and US $37,390 prize money check from Vijay Amritraj, the 34-year-old Pole revealed how her team woke her up at 11 PM after a 1st-round loss in Guangzhou to put her on the plane to India, why she and Tjen stood firm during Sunday night’s Diwali air-quality huddle, and how returning to the live WTA Top 50 sets up her 2027 season.
After a string of 1st-round exits left her doubting she could beat anyone, Linette’s team woke her up at 11 PM and told her: “We decided for you, we are going!”
Survived a 3-hour, 35-minute R32 opener vs. Aliona Falei (BLR, 210) before rallying from a set down in the QF, SF, and Final.
Climbs back inside the WTA Top 50 with 250 title points and US $37,390, securing direct main-draw cushion for the early-2027 WTA 1000 swing.
“After I lost in Guangzhou, they asked me if I wanted to come, and I was in a state of: ‘I do not think I can beat anyone, because I am playing so bad.’ I went to sleep, and my team woke me up at 11 and they were like, ‘We are going — we decided for you, we are going!’”
On Resetting After the 11th Game of Set 1 Against Janice Tjen and Sending Prayers After the Tragedy in Thailand
Congratulations on the title. It has been a really tough week for most people here, but you especially, with a lot of time on court and all the disruption yesterday. Tell us how today went for you.
Magda Linette (POL, 68)Yeah, I was just thinking like, what does it take to win a title? Yeah, so really happy. I was really tested this week, and I am just really proud of me and my team that after so many tough weeks, we fought every single match and we managed to get a title.
Can you talk us through the match? The 1st set was very close, and you were a bit frustrated when that error happened in that 11th game. So how did you manage to reset yourself and recover for the rest of the match?
Magda Linette (POL, 68)Well, I think I was not aggressive enough on the return, and Janice was just serving so well. So I just felt I had to be so precise and good on my service games. So when I felt that I did not make some good decisions, that is where the frustration came in, because it was so much work that I put in and I played some really good tennis, and I felt just with 1 moment of being not on top of my game, I made 2 really bad decisions and then it was just really tough. So I was just really frustrated, but I let it all out very quickly and tried to reset, and I am really glad that I did.
Magda, 1stly congratulations on the win. In the post-match presentation you were talking about a personal loss and wishing prayers to people after the tragedy in Thailand — could you elaborate on that for us?
Magda Linette (POL, 68)I think this whole week was just tough — every single match, every single opponent was testing me and was playing really good tennis. And I felt I am playing pretty well, I felt it was just the opponents were playing great as well. So I was really glad that I felt that finally this week I am getting my fight back that I was missing. And in Thailand, there was a shooting 2 days ago in Thailand — 6 people are dead, 16 are hurt. It was just somebody that was not very well mentally and just went on a spree of killing people and shooting. We really do not get shootings, we do not have guns, so it is very surprising, and that is why the whole of Thailand is very shocked and surprised and saddened, because it was very, very sad.
On Why Players Stopped Over Hazardous Air Quality Numbers and Why Festival-Day Finals Should Start Earlier
Magda, if you are comfortable with it, could you just elaborate on what happened last night? Because since you came to the court, you had a discussion and a huddle with the officials, and you were clearly not happy with how it was with the crackers and everything. Could you elaborate on how it was — were you told to play in this match?
Magda Linette (POL, 68)Well, yes — the thing is that 1st we had rain, obviously. Well, we did not mind the crackers because of the noise — it was more about the pollution and the health hazard. So I think it was a tough decision to make in general, to play or not to play. You never know until you actually see the numbers, but once we saw the numbers, me and Janice were like: 1st of all, why put ourselves in this hazard, but also the ball kids, the umpires — it is not good for anyone right now, for people watching. So I was really glad that the tournament stepped up and they managed to extend 1 more day, because it was just very unhealthy, and we definitely would not be able to play as good tennis as we did today if we had to play yesterday.
Obviously you have played a lot of Grand Slams, including the Australian Open, and we know during the Australian Open there is Australia Day when crackers go off, and they make sure that they suspend play. Do you feel the organizers here should have done a better job in terms of postponing it early, or scheduling the tournament when they try to host it during a festival period in India?
Magda Linette (POL, 68)Well, 1st of all, it is a completely different timeline for the event. At 250s, we all know that from the quarterfinals you play day in and day out — so you sign up for a tournament where you know you are not going to get a day off. At Grand Slams and 1000s, when it is a 2-week event, you do know you are going to get the day off, so it is not a surprise. This is actually the very 1st time that I experienced the firecrackers, and again, 1 thing is the noise and everything around it, the 2nd is the pollution. So I believe that probably we should have played earlier, even when there is still a little bit of drizzle, because you have to take it into consideration next time. I think it is great that we can still play during holidays — I am really glad that we are still being hosted — but I think just the timeline of that day, we should just play earlier and put the doubles way earlier so we just all have a lot of time, because we just had such a small window.
In the 2022 WTA 250 Chennai Open final on the same Center Court, Magda Linette led 4-1 in the deciding 3rd set and held a break point before losing to Linda Fruhvirtova. On Monday against Janice Tjen (INA, 75), Linette led 3-1 in Set 3 with a break point for 4-1 before Tjen saved it and broke back to 3-3 — triggering an immediate flashback that Linette overcame by breaking straight back for 4-3 and serving out the title with new balls at 5-4.
On Almost Skipping Chennai After Guangzhou, Overcoming Her 2022 Final Trauma at 3-1 in Set 3, and Returning to the Top 50
Magda, the last couple of months have been very tough on you with multiple 1st-round defeats. How much does this title mean to you, because you are ending the season on a high after multiple 1st-round exits?
Magda Linette (POL, 68)Well, it means so much, because actually after I lost in Guangzhou, they asked me if I wanted to come, and I was in a state of: ‘I do not think I can beat anyone, because I am playing so bad.’ I went to sleep, and my team woke me up at 11 and they were like, ‘We are going — we decided for you, we are going!’ (Laughs) So I was like, ‘Okay!’ And actually, since we boarded the plane, everything started aligning, and when I arrived I kind of felt good and it was nice. Then when I started playing on the courts, for the 1st time in such a long time I started feeling myself again. So I was really glad that I actually came and gave myself a shot, and had a really tough 1st round because I played over 3 and a half hours — and luckily I had a day off after, and everything was aligning for me this week.
Did that also help you that 4 years ago on the same venue you had reached the final — did that also play a part in your comeback today, where you were like, ‘Not today’?
Magda Linette (POL, 68)You know what, when I lost that break in the 3rd set at 3-1 — after I had a break point — I was like, ‘Not again!’ Because that is what happened to me last time: I was 4-1 up and had a break point, and I lost that match. And I was like, ‘If that happens to me again, I do not know — I hope you still have a psychologist!’ (Laughs) So I am really glad that I served it out much better, and I was glad that we actually got new balls, because that was where I was struggling a little bit physically, and I needed a little bit of help from the balls — so it was good timing for the ball change.
And lastly from my side, you are back in the top 50 in the live WTA rankings. What does that mean for your return to form and planning?
Magda Linette (POL, 68)Well, it means a lot because it helps so much. It helps with planning my next season, and also those events at the beginning of the year — the 1000s — are so tough, so to play every single 1 from qualies is not easy. That gives me a chance to still be in the main draw. I actually had a very good beginning of the season, so that gives me a little bit of a cushion that even if something does not go well, I do not have to worry because now I gave myself this little bit of extra space. So it gives me a little bit more peace that I can rest well now, and start the season with a little bit more peace at the very beginning.
| Round | Match | Score | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| F | [3] Magda Linette (POL, 68) d. [1] Janice Tjen (INA, 75) | 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 | Saved 11/13 break points and converted 4/10 break points across Sets 2 and 3 to win in 2 hours and 52 minutes |
| SF | [3] Magda Linette (POL, 68) d. Anastasia Zakharova (RUS, 107) | 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 | Rallied from a set down to win 12 of the final 17 games and return to the Chennai championship match |
| QF | [3] Magda Linette (POL, 68) d. Mai Hontama (JPN, 160) | 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 | Overcame a 1-set deficit by edging a tight 7-5 2nd set before closing out the decider 6-4 |
| R16 | [3] Magda Linette (POL, 68) d. Moyuka Uchijima (JPN, 123) | 7-6(5), 6-0 | Won 7 consecutive games after trailing 5-6 in Set 1 to prevail in 1 hour and 42 minutes |
| R32 | [3] Magda Linette (POL, 68) d. [Q] Aliona Falei (BLR, 210) | 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-2 | Survived a 3-hour, 35-minute opening-round marathon by sweeping the final 5 games from 1-2 down in Set 3 |