Boisson pulls out of Chennai Open due to injury, Shrivalli given wildcard

NEW DELHI: India No. 2 Shrivalli Bhamidipaty has received a main draw wildcard for next week’s Chennai Open, a WTA 250 event, after the withdrawal of French Open semifinalist Lois Boisson. Frenchwoman Boisson, ranked 37th in the world, was one of the four main draw wildcards announced last week along with India No.1 Sahaja Yamalapalli, rising teenage sensation Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi, and Slovakia ‘s Mia Pohancova, this year’s Wimbledon junior champion.

However, Boisson, who was also expected to be the top seed, has withdrawn. “Lois Boisson has pulled out due to an injury,” a tournament source told Sportstar on Monday. The French player later confirmed the development via an Instagram update, writing: “After discussing with my team and medical staff, we’ve decided to end my 2025 season. I’ll take time to rest and recover, then come back to practice to return stronger in 2026.”

World No. 388 Shrivalli was one of the stars of India’s successful Billie Jean King Cup Asia-Oceania Group 1 showing in Pune in April. The 23-year-old had won all five singles matches she played and helped India qualify for the playoffs only for the second time in history.

The 238-ranked Karman Kaur Thandi is the only Indian, so far, confirmed in the qualifying draw, though the two wildcards in the qualifiers are also likely to be handed to local players.

The tournament, returning to India for the first time since its inaugural edition in 2022, will be held at the SDAT Stadium from October 27 to November 2. Agencies

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