Chennai, Jan 11: The Chennai Open will remain in the city for at least another five years with increased prize money and a title sponsor.
"It is our desire to continue to support the event for another five years. The TNTA (Tamil Nadu Tennis Association) has been working towards this goal and the event will remain in Chennai," M A Alagappan, Vice President of the Association, told PTI.
He said they not only propose to sign the contract for another five year lease, but also to increase the prize money from USD 450,000 to USD 600,000. "Importantly, the event will have a title sponsor, besides the eight sponors, headed by the state government," he said.
Alagappan said this was the right time to make the announcement as Indian tennis is looking up with Somdev Dev Varman on the threshhold of winning his maiden ATP tour title.
Alagappan, also vice-president of the All India Tennis Association, confirmed that an MoU in this regard with all partners of the tournament, including the sponsors, would be signed before the end of February.
Meanwhile, Ravi Krishnan, consultant for IMG,the tournament owners, said 'we will be more than delighted to have the event running in Chennai, which has created a lot of goodwill and memories for players in general and the knowledgeable fans here'. - Agencies
Jan 11, 2009