Prajnesh Gunneswaran top seeded for Chennai Open ATP

Prajnesh Gunneswaran

India's top singles player Prajnesh Gunneswaran headlines the field for the second edition of the Chennai Open ATP Challenger 80 tennis tournament, to be held at the SDAT Nungambakkam stadium here from February 4 to 10.

The tournament, to be organised by Tamil Nadu Tennis Association, carries a prize money of USD 54,500. Prajnesh, currently ranked 109 on the ATP list, had recently qualified for the Australian Open, the year's first Grand Slam before losing in the first round.

Japan's Yuichi Sugita, ranked 145, Courentin Moutet of France (151), Martinez Pedro of Spain (165) and Mohamad Safwat of Egypt (186) would be seeded behind Chennai player Prajnesh, a press release here from TNTA said.

The other Indians in the fray are Saketh Myneni, who is on a comeback trail and the young Sasikumar Mukund. The cut-off for the singles draw is 341, the release
said. Apart from the Indians in the main draw on the basis of their ranking, four others would also find a place as wild cards. Players from countries, including Australia, the USA, South Korea, Japan, Egypt, New Zealand, Serbia, Spain and Germany are among those expected to participate in the tournament.

"The tournament will benefit Indian players to improve their ranking and break into the top 100 in the world," TNTA presidet Vijay Amritraj was quoted as saying in the release. The doubles draw is also likely to feature a number of Indian players.

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