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We study the relaxation dynamics of a semiflexible chain by introducing a time-dependent tension. The chain has one of its ends attached to a large bead, and the other end is fixed. We focus on the initial relaxation of the chain that is initially strongly stretched. Using a tension that is self-consistently determined, we obtain the evolution of the end-to-end distance with no free parameters. Our results are in good agreement with single molecule experiments on double stranded DNA.