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Journalism of Courage
World number four Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka has confirmed that he will defend his Chennai Open title in a highly competitive field that features top-20 players Feliciano Lopez (14) and Roberto Bautista Agut (15).
Former champion Janko Tipservic, who is making a comeback 0after a injury, will also be there in the 20th edition of the USD 450,000 ATP Aircel Chennai Open, beginning January 5.
India’s top singles player Somdev Devvarman (139) and rising star Ramkumar Ramanathan (215) also figure in the main draw as wild cards along with Tipservic.
In 2013, Tipservic had a dream start to the season winning the title beating Bautista Agut, though in the 2012 final he lost to Canadian youngster Milos Raonic but won the doubles title pairing with Leander Paes.
The main draw includes two Asian players too – Yen Hsun Lu (Chinese Taipei-38) and Tatsuma Ito (Japan 94).
The qualifying round for the last four slots in the 28- player main draw would be held on January 3 and 4.
According to official sources, Indian veteran Mahesh Bhupathi is likely to compete in the doubles event.
Tournament director Tom Annear said, “The 20th edition has top lineup of stars in a very strong player field that underlines the tournament’s status as a marquee ATP tennis event in South Asia.”
The field also includes Spain’s Guillermo Garcia Lopez (36) and Marcel Granollers (46), who are regulars in this event for many years.
