TOP STARS TO VIE FOR AIRCEL CHENNAI OPEN 2012 TITLE
- Strong field includes defending champion Wawrinka, Tipsarevic, Almagro & Cilic Somdev to Lead Indian Challenge.
- Online ticket sales begin from November 28, 2011
Chennai, November 24, 2011 –The Aircel Chennai Open, India's only and South Asia's premier ATP World Tour tennis event, will usher in the new year with a heady mix of thrilling action and fun-filled activities at the SDAT Tennis Stadium in Chennai from 2nd - 8th January 2012.
The 17th edition of the tournament will see in action an impressive line-up of stars, both Indian and International. The strong player field includes two players ranked in the top 10, Serbian world number 9 Janko Tipsarevic, and Spanish world number 10 Nicolas Almagro.
The other top players in the fray include Swiss world number 17 Stanislas Wawrinka, the defending champion, former champions world number 22 Marin Cilic of Croatia and Xavier Malisse of Belgium and world number 31 and the youngest player in top 35, Milos Raonic of Canada. Raonic had an impressive 2011 and has been announced as the ATP World Tour's Newcomer of the Year award.
Somdev Devvarman, the country's top-ranked singles player and finalist at the 2009 edition here, will lead the Indian challenge in the singles draw of the tournament. The Aircel Chennai Open 2012 is being telecast live exclusively on Ten Sports.
The online sale of season tickets for the 17th edition of the country's annual tennis extravaganza, which has built a strong legacy of being a "Springboard for Champions", will commence 00.00 hours on November 28, 2011. Priced at INR 5000, INR 3000 and INR 1500, season tickets can be booked either on the official website www.aircelchennaiopen.org or through www.bookmyshow.com, the tournament's ticketing partner.
Tipsarevic, who lost to countryman and world number one Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the US Open, is a regular to Chennai and will begin his opening week of a new season here for the fourth successive year and the fifth time in all. The 27-year-old Tipsarevic has won two ATP World Tour titles in October, at Kuala Lumpur and Moscow, defeating Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis and compatriot Viktor Troicki, respectively, and subsequently made the final at St. Petersburg where he lost to Cilic.
Tipsarevic was a semi-finalist in the 2011 edition of the Aircel Chennai Open, losing to 2007 champion Malisse 6-3 3-6, 2-6, who finished runner-up.
The 26-year-old Almagro, who will be appearing at the Aircel Chennai Open for the first time, made the fourth round of the Australian Open and reached a career-high ranking of number 9 in May before bagging his third title of the season.
Cilic won the Aircel Chennai Open Singles Title in 2009 and 2010 but was ousted in the opening round in the 2011 edition by rising Japanese Kei Nishikori and will be looking to become the first player ever to claim three Aircel Chennai Open Singles crowns.
Olympic doubles gold medallist Stanislas Wawrinka opens the new season in Chennai for the fourth straight year and is eyeing a winning start like in 2011. The Aircel Chennai Open has been a happy hunting ground for the Swiss, who was a finalist in singles in 2010 and in the doubles event in the 2009 edition.
World number 31 Milos Raonic is another player to watch for. Raonic enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2011 where he reached the fourth round of the Australian Open in January before capturing his first ATP singles title in San Jose and reaching the final in Memphis in March. Raonic began the season ranked no. 156 in the world and reached a career-high ranking of no. 25 in May to become the highest ranked Canadian man in tennis history.
The Canadian is looking to build on his exceptional run in 2011 and is hoping to use this year's Aircel Chennai Open as a springboard for the Australian Open.
The Indian challenge in the singles field will be headed by world number 84 Somdev Devvarman. The crowd favourite, who spent his formative years in Chennai, lost in the opening round in the 2011 edition after an impressive run in the 2010 season during which he won the singles gold medal in both the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.
The field for Singles Draw of Aircel Chennai Open 2012 boasts of nine players from the top 50 ATP ranking. Additionally, another 12 players are from the top 100 rankings, thus making it a powerful and impressive field.
Fernando Soler, the Tournament Director and Head of Tennis, IMG Worldwide, said in a statement: "The Aircel Chennai Open has been a permanent fixture in the ATP calendar for almost two decades, and for this we are grateful to the steady support from our sponsors. This year again, the Aircel Chennai Open will showcase world-class tennis with an exciting mix of top players and promising young talent."
Mr. M.A. Alagappan, President of Tamil Nadu Tennis Association said: "The confirmation from top players like Janko Tipsarevic, Nicolas Almagro, Marin Cilic and Milos Raonic is a testimony to the stature of the Aircel Chennai Open. The players will get to experience Chennai's rich tennis culture and I'm sure they will embrace the event, which is acquiring the status of a much sought-after one for players and fans alike on the international tennis circuit."
A spokesperson from IMG Reliance, said: "We are proud to once again present a high quality event which promises to provide high levels of excitement for tennis fans in India. The confirmation from three world-beaters is just the beginning of what will be another season of fantastic talent at display. Aircel Chennai Open 2012 will aim to set new benchmarks in all aspects and offer players and fans a great tennis festival."
