Pune (Maharashtra)[India]December 22 (ANI): As India’s biggest tennis event, the Tata Open Maharashtra returns to the opening week of the international tennis calendar.
The action gets even more exciting with the presence of top names from around the world, including 17 top-100 players.
The tournament is celebrating its fifth edition in Pune and will be organized by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association in collaboration with the Government of Maharashtra, a press release said.
The upcoming edition, scheduled at the Balewadi Stadium from December 31 to January 7, promises an action-packed week for the fans.
Here are the top five players to watch out for at the event.
Marin Cilic (Word No. 17): Croatian star Marin Cilic will make his long-awaited return to the Tata Open Maharashtra after four years, after reaching the semifinals in 2018. The former world No. 3 will be a strong contender for the title when he comes to Pune in red-hot form, especially after his maiden semi-final appearance at the French Open earlier this year. Apart from that, at the 2022 Adelaide International, he also recorded his 550th win to become only the seventh active player to achieve the feat. Cilic has previously won the tournament twice, in 2009 and 2010, when it was held in Chennai. He would like to add another trophy to his glittering cabinet, which also includes the 2014 US Open title.
Emil Ruusuvuori (World No. 40): Finnish youngster Emil Ruusuvuori had an impressive outing in the recent Tata Open Maharashtra where he entered his first ATP Tour final before facing Portugal’s Joao Sousa in the title match. The 23-year-old rose through the ranks since then, taking a big step from world No. 87 to a current career-best ranking of 40. The Finnish No. 1 singles player has also competed in all four Grand Slam events and has also represented Finland in the Davis Cup. After missing out on the title last time, Ruusuvuori will be keen to finish the job this time around and lift the coveted trophy as well as his first ATP Tour title.Sebastian Baez (World No. 43): The rising star of the tennis world Sebastian Baez will to make his Tata Open Maharashtra debut after an exceptional 2022. The 21-year-old from Argentina made his ATP debut last year and has already played all four Grand Slam events. With a sensational start to his career, he became the youngest to claim five Challenger titles in one season. Baez claimed his first ATP title by winning the 2022 Estoril Open. He also achieved a career ranking of 31 after defeating world No. 8 Andrey Rublev, the biggest win of his career, at the 2022 Bastad. The youngster will be eager to make his mark on his debut in Pune.Elias Ymer (World No. 127): From qualifying to semi-finals, the 26-year-old Swedish star had a dream run in the last edition of the Tata Open Maharashtra, reaching his first ATP Tour semi-finals. Ymer caught many eyeballs by producing some solid performances which included defeating top seed and then world number 15 Aslan Karatsev in straight sets in the second round. In 2015, he made history as a teenager by becoming the second male player on record to qualify for all four Grand Slam events in a calendar year. Ymer will be high on confidence when he travels to Pune later this month and will look to end his wait for the maiden ATP singles title. Yuki Bhambri (World No. 553): Former Junior World No. 1 Yuki Bhambri is the lone Indian to make an entry in the singles qualifiers of the 5th edition of the Tata Open Maharashtra. He made the cut on the basis of his protected ranking of 127. The Indian made a brilliant comeback in the last edition after an injury that kept him out of action for nearly two years. He ended his campaign in the quarter-finals. The former Youth Olympic silver medalist had a phenomenal 2022, winning six ATP Challengers Tour doubles titles and he will look to replicate the same success in singles when he kicks off his campaign in front of his home fans on December 31. (ANI)
Source: sn.dk