Tata Open promises great tennis
Sergi Bruguera, two-time French Open Champion, confirmed for Chennai
November 23, 2001

Bruguera will join young Argentine Guillermo Canas, who blasted his way to 14th position in the Champion’s Race, and who will be spearheading the Tata Open 2002 field. Also coming to Chennai are No.1 Swede Thomas Johansson, stylish Frenchman Fabrice Santoro, Andrei Pavel who captured the coveted Tennis Masters Series title in Montreal, and Dominik Hrbaty who started 2001 with a victory in Adelaide. It is going to be a week where Indian fans will witness some scintillating tennis, a week that promises non-stop excitement from start to finish.

Sheila Maniam, Tournament Director for the Tata Open 2002, the award-winning tournament which is India’s richest annual international sporting event, said that the field has never been stronger, and the variety of playing styles is sure to provide some great tennis to the game's fans.

"We are extremely pleased with the players at the Tata Open this year," said Ms Maniam. "We have always indicated that the objective is to give India the best that we can. It has not always been easy but we have never stopped trying and I believe most sincerely that the Tournament has lived up to that credo. We are ecstatic that Sergi Bruguera, who has won the French Open twice, finished in the top ten three times, and has won over US $11 million in prize money over an impressive twelve year pro-career, will be playing at the Tata Open this year.”

“But he will have to battle hard with the likes of Guillermo Canas, who had a truly breakthrough year, jumping from 130th place in 2000 to 14th in the ATP Champion’s Race this year. He won the singles title in Casablanca, Morocco, and had great performances in the French Open, where he beat Tim Henman to reach the pre-quarters, and at Wimbledon he beat Yevgeny Kafelnikov to reach the pre-quarters. He emerged as the top South American on tour this year after Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten, and is sure to enthrall Chennai fans.”

"Thomas Johansson, who finished as the top Swede in the Race this year, is touted as the next great Swede to follow in the footsteps of Bjorn Borg and Mats Wilander. He won two singles titles this year and had the best year of his career to finish in the Top 20 for the first time. Fabrice Santoro, the stylish Frenchman, follows a long tradition of top French players in Chennai, like Cedric Pioline and the 2000 Singles Champion Jerome Golmard. His unique two-handed backhand and forehand will be a treat for tennis fans to watch.”

“Andrei Pavel, who has come to Chennai twice and played very well, will be returning once again. He had the highlight of his career when he won the prestigious Tennis Masters Series crown in Montreal by beating Patrick Rafter in the final. Dominik Hrbaty, nicknamed the “Dominator”, is another exciting player who started with a win in Auckland, and has the distinction of beating Marat Safin three consecutive times this year. Max Mirnyi is another rising star who put in strong performances at the end of this season. Karol Kucera, who has five ATP singles titles, will be returning to Chennai, and we have the 2001 defending champion, Michal Tabara, and the 2001 Runner-Up, Andrei Stoliarov, also returning.”

“All in all, with the lowest cut-off in tournament history, it is an extremely strong field, with new and exciting players, who are all hungry to perform well and win championships. This will make for truly world-class tennis at a truly world-class event,” she added.

Romit Chaterji, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Tata Group, said, “The Tata Group is committed to bringing the best of international sports to India. ‘Winning Fairly’ is a Tata credo and the Tata Open in Chennai exemplifies this belief.”

Peter Hutton, Joint Managing Director, IMG-TWI South Asia, congratulated the Tata Group on the title sponsorship: “It's a delight to welcome to the event a company with the reputation that the Tatas hold. It is great to see the event secured long term in India as a highlight of the sporting calendar, and continue IMG and TWI's tradition of bringing the best quality sportsmen, sports events and sports television coverage to the country,” he said.

The US $400,000 Tata Open, owned and organised by IMG, is India and South Asia’s only ATP International Series event, and one of only seven in all of Asia. The Tata Open will be held in Chennai for the sixth consecutive year from December 31, 2001 - January 6, 2002. The tournament is conducted under the aegis of the All India Tennis Association and is organised with the active collaboration of the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association, with assistance of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu. The event has been presented the ATP Award for Excellence twice and the award for the Best Promoted Tournament in the International Group over the past four years.