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Govt. initiative to keep ATP event in Chennai

CHENNAI, FEB. 3. There is good news for tennis fans in the city. The ATP tournament that has been a regular event for eight years in the city sports calendar will in all likelihood continue to remain here but under a new name — The Chennai Open — from 2005.

This much can be inferred from the initiative taken by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Ms. J. Jayalalithaa to ensure that this popular event remained in the city. After the Tatas decided to back out of the title sponsorship at the end the 2004 edition there were speculations that this premier fixture would move out of the metropolis. That is when officials of the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association and tennis maestro Vijay Amritraj approached the Chief Minister for her support.

A government press release on Tuesday said that as per the directions of the Chief Minister, the Tamil Nadu Government has initiated efforts to form a consortium of sponsors to fund the event for five years from 2005. The Government will also be a sponsor and make its contribution of Rs. one crore every year.

Chennai has been hosting the ATP tournament since 1997 as Gold Flake Open initially and then as the Tata Open at the Nungambakkam stadium, which itself was built at the instance of Ms. Jayalalithaa when the city geared up to hosted the 1995 SAF Games.

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