Sharan lone Indian to get direct entry in Tata Open doubles
MUMBAI: Last year’s doubles champions Divij Sharan, partnering with New Zealand’s Artem Sitak instead of compatriot Rohan Bopanna, is the lone Indian to get a direct entry into the Tata Open Maharashtra, with three more Indians expected to get wildcard entries into the doubles competition of to be held from February 3 to 9 at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune.
Among the Indians expected to get into the doubles draw via wildcard will be Rohan Bopanna, the highest ranked Indian doubles player, and his partner, local boy Arjun Kadhe, who is ranked 217th in the list as their combined ranking has put them in the alternates list.
Leander Paes, ranked 119th, who has paired up with Matthew Ebden (122) of Australia, would be hoping to the get the other wild card if their team fails to make the grade in on-site sign-in.
Purav Raja, Ramkumar Ramanathan and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan are among the other Indians, the organisers are likely to consider for wildcards, a release said.
The organisers of the event on Tuesday announced 10 pairs that are direct acceptances in the main draw while four pairs will come in as on-site sign-ins.
“There is a good chance that a few more Indian players could make it to the doubles main draw as wildcard entries,” Prashant
Sutar, tournament director, Tata Open Maharashtra told Hindustan Times.
Sutar said they have attracted a very competitive field for the event, which has been moved from its previous slot in the first week of January because of the ATP Cup in Australia.
Former Grand Slam doubles champions Robert Lindstedt and Jonathan Erlich will be the main attractions of the doubles event of the tournament.
The Swedish ace Lindstedt, who clinched the Australian Open doubles title in 2014 and also made an appearance in the Wimbledon final on three successive occasions (2010, 2011, 2012), will partner Netherlands’ Robin Haase. It is a formidable pairing as the world number 34 Haase had won the 2018 edition with compatriot Matwe Middelkoop.
Another former Australian Open doubles champion Erlich, ranked 67, will play with Belarusian Andrei Vasilevski.