Chennai Open 2025: Women's singles predictions ft. Donna Vekic vs Vaishnavi Adkar, Francesca Jones vs Mei Yamaguchi

Donna Vekic and Francesca Jones will be among the big names in action on the opening day of the 2025 Chennai Open. The WTA 250 event, which will host its inaugural edition this year, is among the final tournaments of the Tour calendar.

Vekic takes on lucky loser local favorite Vaishnavi Adkar in her first match, while Jones will open her campaign against qualifier Mei Yamaguchi. With multiple matches lined up for opening day, let’s take a look at the prospects of the top names in the fray:

Donna Vekic vs Vaishnavi Adkar

Donna Vekic will take on Vaishnavi Adkar. (Source: Getty)

Donna Vekic comes into the 2025 Chennai Open desperate for wins. Last year's Paris Olympics silver medalist has had a horrid season. The last time she won back-to-back main draw matches on Tour was at the Italian Open way back in April. Her ranking has dropped down from a career-high of No. 17 at the start of the year to No. 79 as a result.

Playing against lucky loser Vaishnavi Adkar, she will look to rediscover her form. The 20-year-old will be making her Tour debut on home soil. To her credit, she beat Amina Anshba in her first round of qualifiers before being overpowered by Astrid Lew Yan Foon.

Adkar has been making waves on the junior circuit, winning a bronze medal at the World University Games in Germany this year. The big challenge for her will be to find a way to neutralize Vekic's power, but she will sense an opportunity given her opponent's recent struggles. That said, when playing at her best, the Croat can hit her opponents off the court. She may need some time to settle into the match, but should prove too strong for the young Indian.

Prediction: Vekic in straight sets

Francesca Jones vs Mei Yamaguchi

Francesca Jones will take on Mei Yamaguchi (Source: Getty)

Francesca Jones will take on qualifier Mei Yamaguchi in another opening-round match at the 2025 Chennai Open. The Briton comes into the tournament having recently won her maiden Tour-level title in Palermo.

At a near-career-high ranking of No. 75, Jones will be feeling good about her prospects. Although she is more comfortable playing on clay (where she has made 15 ITF and two WTA finals), she has also posted decent results on quicker surfaces this year.

In the form of Yamaguchi, the Briton faces an opponent who has already won two matches in the qualifiers. The Japanese player dominated Ankita Raina before battling past Arina Rodionova to book her main draw spot. She will now be eyeing a first main draw win after a string of early exits in the Asian swing.

Neither of two women look to go for outright winners, instead relying on their steady baseline game to win points. As it stand though, the gulf between rankings and recent form make Jones the heavy favorite to come through.

Prediction: Jones to win in straight sets

Other Chennai Open 2025 prediction

Linda Fruhvirtova to def. Astrid Lew Yan Foon in straight sets

Sahaja Yamalapalli to def. Priska Madelyn Nugroho in three sets

Edited by Vedant Chandel