A strong Indian presence marks the $10,000 ITF Futures Men’s Tour Championship which would begin on Mon, 28 May ’12 till 2 June ’12. The qualifying round matches would be played on 26 & 27 May at the PET Stadium courts situated in the PES Engineering College. As many as 10 Indian players figure in the main draw and Indian Davis cupper Vishnu Vardhan, with ranking of 385 heads the main draw list as the top seed, which also includes Vijayant Malik (448), Ranjeet Virali Murugesan (510), Rohan Gajjar (545), Saketh Myneni (588), N.Sriram Balaji (650), Ashwin Vijayragavan (946), Vignesh Peranamallur (959) Kaza Vinayak Sharma (966) and Sidharth Rawat (1124). The local flavor would have the promising Vinod Gowda. Though the Indian players, with their numbers are likely dominate the field, there are strong contenders from 8 nations representing countries like Great Britain, Italy, Australia, USA, China and France.
Eight qualifiers would make it to the main draw, along with four wild cards (names) to complete the main draw of 32. The final is slated on Sat, June 2 while the semifinals of singles are on Fri 1 June which is also the day of Doubles finals.
This is for the first time an ITF Men’s Futures is being held in Mandya; it hosted Women’s ITF in 2010. With the ITF tourneys taking place in Tier II cities, it opens up a huge platform for the young players, make an entry to the professional circuit, and earn valuable ATP tour ranking points and some prize money to start moving up the international ranking. The whole Mandya community is coming together to support the event starting from District Administration, Hoteliers Association, Media and also the Sports & Education departments.
Dr. P.C. Jaffer IAS, Deputy Commissioner, Mandya and Chairman of organizing committee said, “We appreciate and thank AITA & KSLTA for putting their faith in us and giving us the opportunity to host this event. It is an honor for Mandya to host a tournament of this magnitude. The players are all ambassadors of their country in their own right and we are delighted to host them in Mandya. We will be glad to provide our continuous support to such an event that provides a platform for every talented youth’s aspiration to make a mark in the tennis world. With yet another ITF tournament in Mandya, our city takes a leap forward in the sporting genre and in the near future will be hopefully a prominent destination in World Tennis tour.”
On behalf of the title sponsor, Prem sugars, Mr. Hari Mohan Naidu, Director, Favorich Prem sugars said, “It gives us immense pleasure to be the title sponsor for the ITF Mandya Open. We are a sporty minded company and are happy to take up the opportunity given to us by the Hon’ble DC of Mandya Dr. P.C. Jaffer IAS to partner this event as the Title sponsor. It also gives needed impetus to the sports culture of a place to be nurtured and developed in order to set a standard for itself. I wish the players a good time at Mandya and also wish them the very best.”
Mr. Sunder Raju, Hon’ Secretary, KSLTA said, “I am pleased to see Mandya hosting such an event for the second time; the organizing Committee has made fantastic arrangements keeping with the standard of the game. KSLTA is deeply appreciative of the involvement of the Hon’ble DC dr. P.C. Jaffer under whose leadership, the event is being conducted and also all the sponsors of the tournament especially Mr. Hari Mohan Naidu of Prem sugars who has come forward to support the event. I invite all public of Mandya, to support this tournament by their presence and boost the morale of the young budding champions.”
Mr. Sunil Yajaman, Tournament Director and CEO Zygosports Ultd said, “The sporting scenario in India is going through a transition phase where sports other than cricket are given attention and appreciation. Our involvement with Tennis has been a long term union. Past record speaks volumes of our association in the management of WTA Tour Bangalore Open during 2007 & 2008. In 2009, 2010 and the recently concluded Women’s ITF in March 2012, we have capably managed the tournament and we intend to continue with the same gusto. Our involvement at grass root levels of International Tennis only supports our motto to make the sport more professionally managed to International standards and to provide a memorable experience to the players and spectators.”
Dr. H.S. Ravindra, incharge of PET sports complex, council member of KSLTA said, “The sprawling sports complex of the PES Engineering College has been due to the untiring efforts of our chairman Sri. Chowdiah. The venue has been host to ITF Women’s Tennis 2010 and other National events, is an ideally suited hard –outdoor surface and we are sure the players would enjoy playing here. I’m sure this will be an enriching experience for both players and the spectators.”
Besides Prem sugars as the Title sponsor, the tournament is supported by Sri Chamundeswari sugars and Zuari Adventz Infra as Co-sponsors. Event Partners include; Vyoma - Outdoor digital media partner, Technifibre - Equipment sponsor, Kingfisher - Good Times partner and Mandya Hoteliers association - Hospitality partner.
Sourced From: Equator PR,
