<p>Doubles world No. 3 Leander Paes will take to the court in Chennai Open with a new partner -- Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France -- as he prepares to defend his title here for the third time in a row later this month.</p>.<p>At 39, Paes has had a good run in 2012 winning four titles, including the Australian Open (doubles) and reaching the finals at Tokyo and US Open.<br /><br />And for the 29-year-old Frenchman, the year has brought three doubles titles, taking him to a career-best doubles ranking of 38. He, though, will finish the year at 43.<br /><br />This is the first time the duo will partner each other in a tournament in which the Indian had won six times in 17 appearances.<br /><br />"Paes and Roger-Vasselin are pairing up for the first time at the 2013 edition of the Aircel Chennai Open. While enough has been written and said about Leander, it will be a tremendous learning opportunity for Roger-Vasselin," said tournament director Tom Annear.<br /><br />"Going by their individual records and playing styles, I am pretty certain the duo will give the others a run for their money in this tournament," he added.<br /><br />Among other Indian players, world No. 11 Mahesh Bhupathi will play alongside world No. 5 Daniel Nestor while the number 12 ranked Rohan Bopanna will be pairing up Rajeev Ram in the event.<br /><br />Karti P Chidambaram, tournament organising committee chairman and AITA vice-president said, "It is always a pleasure to have Leander Paes playing in Chennai. Besides him being a fine doubles player, he is also the most successful here with six titles under his belt.<br /><br />The tournament already has four doubles players from the top 20, with two of them ranked among the top ten.<br /><br />India's only ATP World Tour tennis event will take place in the city's SDAT Tennis Stadium from December 31, 2012 to January 6, 2013. </p>
<p>Doubles world No. 3 Leander Paes will take to the court in Chennai Open with a new partner -- Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France -- as he prepares to defend his title here for the third time in a row later this month.</p>.<p>At 39, Paes has had a good run in 2012 winning four titles, including the Australian Open (doubles) and reaching the finals at Tokyo and US Open.<br /><br />And for the 29-year-old Frenchman, the year has brought three doubles titles, taking him to a career-best doubles ranking of 38. He, though, will finish the year at 43.<br /><br />This is the first time the duo will partner each other in a tournament in which the Indian had won six times in 17 appearances.<br /><br />"Paes and Roger-Vasselin are pairing up for the first time at the 2013 edition of the Aircel Chennai Open. While enough has been written and said about Leander, it will be a tremendous learning opportunity for Roger-Vasselin," said tournament director Tom Annear.<br /><br />"Going by their individual records and playing styles, I am pretty certain the duo will give the others a run for their money in this tournament," he added.<br /><br />Among other Indian players, world No. 11 Mahesh Bhupathi will play alongside world No. 5 Daniel Nestor while the number 12 ranked Rohan Bopanna will be pairing up Rajeev Ram in the event.<br /><br />Karti P Chidambaram, tournament organising committee chairman and AITA vice-president said, "It is always a pleasure to have Leander Paes playing in Chennai. Besides him being a fine doubles player, he is also the most successful here with six titles under his belt.<br /><br />The tournament already has four doubles players from the top 20, with two of them ranked among the top ten.<br /><br />India's only ATP World Tour tennis event will take place in the city's SDAT Tennis Stadium from December 31, 2012 to January 6, 2013. </p>