Two-time Grand Slam champions Lleyton Hewitt of Australia and Marat Safin of Russia will be the top draws at the $416,000 Kingfisher Airlines Mumbai ATP Open tennis tournament to be held at the Cricket Club of India next month.
Two-time Grand Slam champions Lleyton Hewitt of Australia and Marat Safin of Russia will be the top draws at the $416,000 Kingfisher Airlines Mumbai ATP Open tennis tournament to be held at the Cricket Club of India next month.
Former Wimbledon and US Open champion Hewitt, ranked 16th in the World, and Safin, also a former world number one and winner of the Australian and US Opens, will be joined by Marcos Baghdatis, the world no 18, and world no 13 Richard Gasquet in the September 24-30 tournament.
Cypriot Baghdatis had finished runner-up in the 2006 edition of the Australian Open, while Gasquet was a losing semifinalist at the prestigious Wimbledon championships earlier this year.
The 26-year-old Hewitt, with 26 career singles titles, had finished in the top-20 for the seventh year in a row last year, while the 27-year-old Safin finished in the top-30 for the seventh time in the last eight years in 2006.
“The last time, we had raw talent. This time, we have colourful players playing in the event,” said tournament director Gaurav Natekar of Globosport said during a press conference here on Tuesday night.
Kingfisher Airlines’ chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dr Vijay Mallya promised that the tournament ‘would become bigger and better next year if everything goes according to plan.’
“Last year, there were some withdrawals at the last moment. However, this time, all these players have assured us they will be coming, I am told,” said Mallya.
The qualifying rounds for the 32-man singles draw will be held on September 23 and 24.
