Chennai: The last two Decembers had been eventful for Chennai. If the city was at the receiving end of unprecedented floods in 2015, cyclone Vardah left its devastating imprint in 2016. But Chennai, as it always does, is up again on time to keep its date with one of the season openers for professional tennis players.
Twenty-eight players will start their week-long battle at the Chennai Open 2017, which is all set to roll from Monday. Simultaneous ATP events in Brisbane and Doha may see bigger names in action but the Chennai Open still remains relevant for players ahead of the Australian Open, the season’s first grand slam.
Croatian Marin Cilic, the US Open winner in 2014, headlines the field, which has six players in the top 50. The top four seeds get a bye to the next round. In the absence of defending champion Stan Wawrinka, a four-time winner here, Cilic is the overwhelming favourite to take away 250 points from the Tamil Nadu capital.
The top seed would, however, be wary of putting champagne on ice because the tournament has proved to be a graveyard to many a star. The smart money would be on Cilic because he has reached the pinnacle twice here.
