The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : BSNL-Kerala Open 2008

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Saturday, Apr 12, 2008
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BSNL-Kerala Open 2008

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ITF pro-circuit women’s ranking tournament to be held at the TTC courts here from May 5 to 10 has been branded as BSNL-Kerala Open 2008.

The official announcement in this regard was made by the Sports Minister, M. Vijayakumar, at a function at the TTC here on Friday. The Minister also released the tournament brochure besides unveiling the tournament logo at the same function.

Besides BSNL, the organisers have also roped in LIC of India as the co-sponsor of the tournament.

Speaking at the function, Mr. Vijayakumar promised all possible help to the organisers from the Government for the smooth conduct of the event. The TTC president, A.P. Nair, presided and K. Srinivasan (Chief General Manager, BSNL, Kerala Circle) and S.A. Nair (Sales Manager, LIC) offered felicitations.

Later, the Club secretary, Satish Kumar, said the qualifying rounds of the $10,000 prize-money tournament would be held on May 3 and 4 prior to the main draw matches on May 5. Over 50 entries were expected from all over the world before the deadline of April 15. The semifinals and final of the doubles event will be held on May 8 and 9 respectively. The final of the singles event will be held on May 10.

The Club, he said, was exploring the possibility of offering a wild card entry to a top ranking player from Kerala.

The Club’s long-term plan was to have a major international event like the Chennai Open and the Bangalore Open so much so that the capital city of Kerala could also prominently figure on the world tennis map, Mr. Satish Kumar added. — Special Correspondent

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