Chennai: India no. 1 Saketh Myneni and Norwegian teen Casper Ruud have been awarded wild cards for the 22nd edition of the Chennai Open tennis tournament, scheduled to begin here on January 2. Saketh, who is currently ranked 194th, will make his fourth straight appearance in Chennai.
“I am thrilled to get an entry. The early announcement gives me enough time to prepare for the season opener,” Saketh said. The 28-player draw has 21 direct entries and three wild cards — local boy Ramkumar Ramanathan being the other. Four qualifiers will fill the remaining spots. S.P. Misra, chairman of Aita selection committee, was pleased to see two Indians in the main draw. “Both Saketh and Ramkumar have been integral part of the Davis Cup squad. The Chennai Open will help them improve their ranking,” he added. The 17-year-old Ruud, who started the season as junior world no. 1, has already made his presence felt on the Tour by becoming the fourth youngest player ever to win a Challenger titles, in Copa Sevilla.
