Chennai, January 1, 2009: Indian pair of Yuki Bhambri and Harsha Mankad has been given the Wild Card for the Doubles Draw at Chennai Open 2009.
The USD 450,000 tournament will be held from Jan 5, 2009- Jan 11, 2009 at SDAT, Nungambakkam Tennis Stadium, Chennai.
India’s number one and two ranked players Somdev Devvarman and Prakash Amritraj have also received the Second Wild Card for the Doubles Draw at Chennai Open 2009.
Prakash and Somdev have already been offered Wild Cards for the Singles Draw.
"We are very happy to offer wild cards to these bright talents from India in the Doubles Draw and are confident that with the presence of Indian tennis legends like Mahesh and Leander and international stars like Davydenko, Wawrinka, amongst others, they will rise up to the challenge and showcase their talent," says, Fernando Soler, Tournament Director, Chennai Open.
The player to be watched is 15 year old Yuki Bhambri who had an exceptional performance in 2008. He is currently ranked no 2 at the junior level in the world. He was winner of Osaka Mayor Cup- World Super Junior Tennis Championships at Japan. He had also won the Dunlop Orange Bowl at USA, and at the Orange Bowl. In Doubles he had won the Asian/Oceania Closed junior Championships at New Delhi.
Yuki Bhambri hearing the news of Wild Card entry said, "I am pretty thrilled to participate at Chennai Open 2009. My motivation is high and I am in top spirits. I am looking forward to make a mark at the Chennai Open and hope to have a great start at the beginning of the tennis season.”
Harsha Mankad would be another player who would be keenly followed. Mankad has been a member of India Davis Cup team for over a dozen Davis Cup ties since September 2001. He was the highest ranked singles player from India on the ATP Tour in June 2005 (No. 220). He won the Manchester Challenger title in July 2006, becoming the first Indian since Leander Paes to win an ATP Challenger Series title.
Started in 1996 Chennai Open is India’s only and South Asia’s premiere ATP International Series event. It has completed thirteen successful years of existence, branding Chennai and India on the global tennis map. It has created a legacy of sorts of promoting international tennis in India as this tournament provides opportunities to young talent to showcase their skills against international stars.
The tournament is conducted in Chennai under the aegis of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) and is organised with the active collaboration of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) and Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA). The tournament is sponsored by a consortium of sponsors in Gold and Platinum category, set up by Government of Tamil Nadu (GOTN) and the Tami Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA).
—
Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba@yahoo.com