WTA 250 Chennai Open to shift to Manila in 2027

The WTA 250 Chennai Open will be moved to Manila in 2027, The Hindu reported on October 1, 2026. The report said the Philippines will receive its first tour-level WTA event in the same late-year slot used by the Chennai tournament.

This year's WTA 250 Chennai Open, described in the report as the country's only top-tier tennis tournament, is scheduled to run from November 2 to 8 at the SDAT Stadium in Nungambakkam. Organisers and stakeholders are cited as seeking to capitalise on the rapidly growing fanbase of Alexandra Eala, who is 21 years old and currently ranked 18th in the world. The report framed Eala's rise as an influencing factor behind the decision to introduce a WTA event in the Philippines.

The Philippines hosted a WTA 125 event for the first time in January this season and that event is set to return, the report added. It also said a WTA 250 tournament will make its debut in Manila in late 2027. The move is described as the country’s first tour-level WTA staging.

Alastair Garland, managing director of the tennis division of Octagon, the sports agency that holds the license for the event, told The Hindu: "That (Eala’s rise) is a factor and that makes the Philippines and Manila an appealing solution. To have a WTA footprint in the Philippines, that’s definitely an important contributing factor," the report quoted.

Chennai first hosted a WTA 250 in 2022 on a single-year licence, the report noted. The tournament returned to the city last year after being relocated from Mexico. Indonesia's Janice Tjen won the WTA Chennai Open 2025.

The report said the Manila WTA 250 is scheduled from November 1 to 7, 2027, while the Chennai tournament will take place from November 2 to 8 at SDAT Stadium in Nungambakkam this year.