87 foreign entries for ITF Future event

CHANDIGARH, JAN 2: More than 100 entries, including 87 from foreign countries have been received for the 10,000 Golf Flake Aces ITF Men8217;s Circuit Tennis Torunament which begins here on January 11. The players with ATP points, who are participating in the tournament, include Like Milliagan of Great Britain 373, Amir Hadad of Israel 380, Regis Lavergne of France 406 and Jonathan Erlich of Israel 414. The level of the tournament is so high that the Indian players have to hope to enter the main draw of 32 only through qualifying rounds.

Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association chairman Rajan Kashyap said here today that some top ranked players from 25 countires, including Great Britain, Israel, France, Switzerland, Sweden, USA, Canada, Czech Republic, Russia, Thailand, Croatia, Pakistan, Italy, Hungary and Poland, are competing in the tournament. In the last ITF Men8217;s Future held in Chandigarh in January last year, two Indians 8212; Prahalad Srinath and Fazaluddin 8212; had figured in the final.

The initialround matches will be played at the Chandigarh Club grass courts. The semi-finals and finals will be conducted at the Centre Court of the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association, Sector 10. Grass being the unfamiliar surface for the foreigners, the CLTA will provide special facilities to them for practice at the Chandigarh Club and Punjab University Campus.

Kashyap said 20 players would be given direct entry on the basis of their international ranking, eight players would be selected from a 64-player qualifying draw. The qualifying matches will be played on January 9 and 10. The organising committee would give four wild cards to four players in the main draw.

Luigi Brahambilla of Italy has been appointed ITF supervisor. Brahambilla had earlier visited the city in 1996 and 1998.