In a highly competitive field for the singles, qualifiers of the fifth edition of the Tata Open Maharashtra tennis tournament, Indian star Yuki Bhambri and last year’s semifinalist Elias Ymer will be the top contenders.
Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association
For the fifth year, the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) will hold the Tata Open Maharashtra in Pune, which will be held at the Balewadi Stadium from December 31 to January 7.
The qualifiers, which will begin on December 31, will feature some powerful players with a high cutoff of 243.
According to a press release issued on Thursday, Bhambri qualified for the qualifiers despite the fact that the sole ATP 250 event in South Asia has been moved back to the first week of the calendar. This was based on his protected rankings of 127.
Bhambri, a former junior world number one, made an impressive comeback from an injury that kept him out of action for two years last year in the Tata Open Maharashtra. In the pre-quarterfinals, his challenge was stopped.
Seeing an Indian name in the lineup is always encouraging because our primary goal in organizing such a large tournament is to encourage and increase Indian participation. As organizers, we are pleased to see similar strong foreign names in the qualifiers to those in the main draw earlier.
the fifth edition would be excited
Prashant Sutar, the Tournament Director of Tata Open Maharashtra, stated, “The special fifth edition is going to be exciting.”
The tournament, which is sponsored by Tata Group and will be held in collaboration with the Maharashtra Government, will be hosted by MSLTA.
The 26-year-old Ymer was also on a roll in the last edition where he set up strong exhibitions which incorporated a triumph against the favorite and afterward World No. In the Round of 16, 15 Aslan Karatsev prevailed in straight sets.
Highly competitive games are always the result of a strong field, which draws more fans. Last year Ymer got many eyeballs with his thrilling exhibitions and journey from being a qualifier to arriving at the elimination rounds, said Sunder Iyer, the Joint Secretary of AllIndiaTennis Affiliation and Secretary of MSLTA.
According to a press release, Iyer was quoted as saying, “This year’s line-up looks equally strong, and it’s going to be an entertaining week for the fans as well as for the upcoming players who will get to watch the world’s best players live in action.”
In addition to Ymer, Christopher Eubanks, an American, and the former World No. 39 Peter Gojowczyk are the international stars’ main draw.
Marin Cilic, a two-time Grand Slam champion, and Emil Ruusuvuori, the runner-up from the previous tournament, are two of the 17 players in the Top 100 who will compete in the singles main draw, which will take place from January 2 to 7.16 players, including two wild card entrants, will compete for four main draw spots in the qualifiers event.