While Cyclone Montha continues to wreak havoc in the area putting the Chennai Open even at doubt at times in the past few days, there was a different problem for Donna Vekic when she finally got onto the court on Wednesday.
That being the heat as she had her blood and vitals taken in worrying scenes on court at the Chennai Open. The Olympic silver medalist struggled through her opening match against home favourite Vaishnavi Adkar.
Vekic took the first set fairly comfortably 6-1 but she had more trouble in the second after receiving treatment from the doctor in what prompted a lengthy delay to proceedings. Francesca Jones earlier today herself had issues as she retired from her match against Mei Yamaguchi in scenes which haven't really been seen since the start of the Asian swing in Wuhan and Shanghai on the respective tours.
Back then players were retiring and struggling to battle the heat on court with Holger Rune asking for a heat rule amid his own personal issues on court. Vekic was sat on the sidelines and had her vitals checked by the doctor before later having her blood taken and then being given some chocolate to help her get some energy.
The cyclone has been wreaking havoc in recent days albeit it is perhaps a welcome relief that it didn't develop into anything that would throw the tournament into serious chaos. It did see a death toll rising to two though in Andhra Pradesh.
On Wednesday the meteorological department confirmed that it had been weakened into a cyclonic storm and maintain that intensity for several hours with two people dying due to it. Play was suspended for a second consecutive day on Tuesday and not a single first round game was played over the first two days.
“Actually, we are quite okay because when you have a draw of 32, we need only five days (one round per day). Of course, the players who are playing doubles and singles will have to play two matches (daily),” said Hiten Joshi, the tournament director.
“We’ve had rain during tournaments in the past, but never like this when the play had to be completely cancelled two days in a row. There was an instance in the past where we had to stop a match due to a shower, but we were able to wipe the court and continue playing.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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