ADITYAN ITF M25 International Tennis Tournament has begun at the SDAT Stadium, with players from 14 countries competing in the week-long event that runs until 18 January. Now a regular fixture on the Tamil Nadu tennis calendar.
The event carries total prize money of USD 30,000, with 25 ATP ranking points on offer for the singles champion and 16 points for the runner-up.
Welcoming the staging of the M25 Men’s Futures event, Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA) president Vijay Amritraj said, “I appreciate the spontaneous gesture of Kannan Adityan to annually come forward to sponsor this M25 futures which has a special connotation for aspiring Indian Tennis Players who can now experience international competition on home ground and improve their world rankings.”
Players from the Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Japan, Finland, Tunisia, Malaysia, Korea, Indonesia, France, Kazakhstan, Romania, Uzbekistan, and India are taking part. With the tournament coinciding with the Pongal holiday week, Chennai fans are set to enjoy tennis throughout the event.
According to the acceptance list, Dutch player Max Houkes, ranked 247 in the world, leads the overseas challenge in the 32-player main draw, with Russia’s Ilia Samakin seeded second. The Indian contingent is headed by fifth seed Karan Singh, alongside former national champion Manish Suresh Kumar, Manas Dhamne, Prajwal Dev and Sidharth Rawat. The four wild cards for the main draw have been awarded to Manish Suresh Kumar, Keerthivasan Suresh, Kabir Hans and Hitesh Chauhan, the TNTA said in a release.
Dharaka Ellawala of Sri Lanka is serving as the ITF referee for the tournament, while Hiten Joshi is the tournament director.
The competition features both singles and doubles events, with the doubles final scheduled for the evening of 17 January and the singles final to be played the following day. Entry for spectators is free, with matches running daily from 9am to 6pm.
