Harpal Singh Bedi Pune
With Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Arjun Kadhe getting wild card entries, there will be four Indians in the singles main draw at the Tata Open Tennis to be played at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune from January 31 to February 6.
Prajnesh and Arjun joined Yuki Bhambri and Ramkumar Ramanathan in the singles main draw of the tournament,
Local boy Arjun, who clinched his maiden national title in 2020, and 2018 Asian Games medallist Prajnesh have featured in all three last editions of South East Asia’s only ATP 250 tournament.
In the last edition of the event, Prajnesh made it to the pre-quarterfinals while 28-year-old Arjun suffered a defeat against eventual champion Vesely.
In the presence of top names including World No. 15 Aslan Karatsev, defending champion Jiri Vesely and the former Youth Olympics champion Kamil Majchrazak, the fourth edition of the tournament is set to witness a week filled with breathtaking tennis action.
“We are happy to announce Arjun and Prajnesh as wildcards and it’s great to see four Indians in the main draw. Arjun is from Pune and Prajnesh has also been among the popular names at the tournament. Though the field is strong, “said Prashant Sutar, Tournament Director of Tata Open Maharashtra.
I believe these wildcards will help Indians start stronger as we also aim to give our players much-needed opportunities through this event,” He added.
“Both Arjun and Prajnesh are excellent players. Currently they are among the top Indian international players and having them here means they will have an opportunity to play against top players in home conditions.” opined Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) Secretary Sunder Iyer said.