Chennai: Thanks to the continued support of Government of Tamil Nadu and the other longstanding Sponsors, the Aircel Chennai Open, India and South Asia’s only ATP World Tour tennis event is back, promising to usher in another week of scintillating tennis action, featuring some of the finest players in the world. The tournament is scheduled to take place at Chennai’s SDAT Tennis Stadium from December 31, 2012 to January 6, 2013.
Stepping into the 18th edition of the event, the Aircel Chennai Open 2013 has confirmed participation from two players from the Top 10; World No. 6, Tomas Berdych and World No. 9 Janko Tipsarevic
This will be 26-year-old Tomas Berdych’s second visit to the tournament. He kicked off 2012 with a bang after winning the Hopman Cup for the Czech Republic with compatriot Petra Kvitová. The Czech continued his top form as he reached his career best at The US Open Championships 2012, where he stalled the progress of World No. 1 Roger Federer, defeating him 7-6(1), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to enter the quarter-finals. In September 2012, Berdych also led the Czech team to victory to set up a face-off against Spain in the Davis Cup Final later this year.
The sportsman further displayed his prowess in the game by seizing his second ATP title of 2012 by rallying to beat top-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the Stockholm Open final progressing to play at the upcoming Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. This will be his third consecutive appearance at the season finale. Berdych, who had kept his hopes of qualification alive with victory over Tsonga lost to Djokovic and ended his run at the finals.
Janko, who will open his new season at the Aircel Chennai Open for the fifth successive year, led his country to a Davis Cup first round win over Sweden early this year. During the spring European clay swing, he compiled a 15-5 record, highlighted by a Semi final run at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid. He beat World No. 1 Novak Djokovic 7-6(2), 6-3 in the quarterfinals, before losing to Federer 6-2, 6-3 in a semi final encounter.
The right-hander then reached the Barcelona quarterfinals losing to Nadal but helped Serbia win the ATP World Tour Team Championship title at Dusseldorf. He captured his first ATP World Tour clay-court title with a hard-fought 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 victory over second seed Juan Monaco.
Tipsarevic had a perfect close to the season by qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Unfortunately his run was halted by World No. 6 Juan Del Porto in the second match.
Commenting on the confirmation, M.A. Alagappan, President of Tamil Nadu Tennis Association said, “We are pleased to announce the participation of two Top 10 players. Tomas Berdych had a huge fan following in India after he reached the semi finals in 2011. He has had a great year thus far and we are sure he will continue his winning streak in Chennai. Tipsarevic is a regular to Chennai and loves to play here. He has been doing well in 2012 and I am sure his presence will ensure that fans will get to see some fantastic games being played during the tournament. We would like to take this opportunity to welcome him to India. we are extremely grateful to the Government of Tamil Nadu and all the other Sponsors who have supported the event”
Ashu Jindal, Chief Operating Officer, IMG Reliance, said: “We are delighted to launch the 2013 edition of the Aircel Chennai Open with the announcement of Tomas Berdych and Janko Tipsarevic’s participation. We are thrilled to present them to you. We are gearing up for an exciting tennis tournament and we are confident that the event will feature one of the best player fields the Aircel Chennai Open has witnessed so far. At this juncture, we would also like to welcome Tom Annear, our new Tournament Director to the Aircel Chennai Open 2013.”
The 2013 edition will have Tom Annear - who has worked at the prestigious Sony Open for the last 17-years - serve as the new Tournament Director.
Annear began his 28-year career in advertising and sports marketing in New York City, and in 1994 moved to Miami, Florida to join the Sony Open, an IMG-owned and operated event, as an Account Executive. Over the years, Annear has assumed many roles encompassing special events, promotions, community affairs and business development, and is currently the Senior Vice President of Sales. His professional work experience covers media, corporate advertising, event marketing, public relations, fundraising, and sales.
The Title Sponsor for the tournament is Aircel and the event is supported by a consortium of sponsors in the Platinum and Gold category.
By Indian Sports News Network
