The country’s leading players will battle it out for supremacy in the AITA Ranking Rs 13 lakh prize-money JVPG Anirudh Desai All-India Open Men’s & Women’s Tennis Tournament – 2016, to be hosted by the Juhu Vile Parle Gymkhana at their floodlit synthetic tennis courts from January 23 to January 31, 2016.
From Left to Right Dr Uday Vora , Tournament Director, Mr Jinesh Choksi, Hon. Jt.Sec JVPGC, Shweta Patel, Chief Sponsor and daughter of Anirudh Desai, Shikha Uberoi, Former India No 1 and Chetan Desai , Chief Sponsor and brother of Anirudh Desai at a press conference to announce the launch of the Anirudh Desai- JVPG All India Men’s and Women’s Open Lawn Tennis Championship 2016.
According to Tournament Director Dr. Uday Vora, the event has received in excess of 250 entries and the singles main draws for men and women will include 32 players. While 24 of the top players will get a direct entry into the main draw, there will be eight qualifiers. Qualifying rounds for the same will be played on January 23 and 24 at Practennis, Andheri and the JVPG Club courts.
“Vishnu Vardhan, ranked No. 9 in the country will be the top ranked player among the men, followed by Mohit Mayur, Karunuday Singh and V M Ranjeet, while the women’s top seed will be India No. 4 Rishika Sunkara of Delhi, followed by defending champion and India No.5 Natasha Palha, Sharmadaa Balu and C Sai Samhitha,” said Dr. Vora.
“The men’s winner will stand to gain Rs 1.35 lakh, with the runner-up taking home Rs 80,000 and the losing semi-finalists Rs 35,000 each. The women’s winner will be richer by Rs 80,000, with the runner-up gaining by Rs 50,000. Prize money in the singles will be offered from the first round itself, with the first round losers also gaining Rs 7,000 each,” added Choksi.
The winners will also stand to earn 60 AITA ranking points and the runners-up will get 30 ranking points.
The qualifying rounds will be held on January 23 and 24 and the main draw will start from Monday, January 25, 2016.
Addressing sports journalists, Jinesh Choksi, Hon. Jt. Secretary of JVPG Club, said “Juhu Vile Parle Gymkhana Club is living up to its reputation of promoting sports in all disciplines, including tennis. The club is conducting this tournament for which all the top-ranked players from the country have confirmed their participation. This year being the sixth edition of the tournament, the prize purse has been increased to Rs 13 lakh, making this event the richest AITA event to be organized by a private club,” said Choksi.
“This special edition of the tournament is being held to commemorate the memory of the late Anirudh Desai, a club member and tennis aficionado and his family is the title sponsor to the event,” he further stated. Seagrams 9 Hills is the Associate Sponsor, while the Co-Sponsors of the event are Enerzal, Atharva, Mercedes Benz, Vise by Vijay Sales and Octo.
This is also the only tournament in the country to conduct a mixed doubles event, along with the singles and doubles competitions for men and women.
Sweta Patel, daughter of Anirudh Desai, felt it was a great privilege for her family to be part of such a big tennis tournament. “We are honoured to be associated with this event. It gives an opportunity for us to provide a platform for the youth of our country to represent us by participating in this national-level tournament,” she said.
“I also congratulate the JVPG Club and the organizing committee for the commendable job they have done to organize this all-India tournament and for associating my father with this tournament,” she added.
Shikha Uberoi, a former Indian No. one ranked tennis player was present to support the tournament. “I have fond memories of playing at the JVPG Club, which has supported the sports and continues to encourage youngsters. We have dreams and wishes, but we have to thank the sponsors for making them possible. Nothing can happen without sponsorship, so I thank all the sponsors, Sweta and her family and all the others for supporting this event.”
Following are the leading players:
Men’s top 8: Vishnu Vardhan (AP); Mohit Mayur (TN); Karunuday Singh (Del); V M Ranjeet (TN); Sidharth Rawat (UP); Anvit Bendra (Mah); Suraj Prabodh (Ktk); Siddharth Vishwakarma (UP).
Women’s top 8: Rishika Sunkara (Del); Natasha Palha (Goa); Sharmadaa Balu (ktk); C Sai Samhitha (TN); Amrita Mukherjee (WB); Arathi Muniyan (TN); Sneha Padmata (AP); Rashmi Teltumbde (Mah).
Prize Money break-up:
Men’s: Winner Rs 1,35,000; Runner-up Rs 80,000; losing semi-finalists Rs 35,000 each; losing quarter-finalists Rs 20,000 each; losing pre-quarter-finalists Rs 10,000 each; losing 1st round players Rs 7,000 each.
Women’s: Winners Rs 80,000; Runner-up Rs 50,000; losing semi-finalists Rs 20,000 each; losing quarter-finalists Rs 15,000 each; losing pre-quarter-finalists Rs 10,000 each; losing 1st round players Rs 7,000 each.
Doubles (3 categories): Winners Rs 40,000; Runner-up team Rs 30,000; losing semi-finalist teams Rs 10,000 each; losing quarter-finalist teams Rs 5,000 each.