Mukund Sasikumar, the No. 1 ranked player of India, received a wild card entrance to the fifth Maharashtra Open, assuring India’s participation in the singles main draw of a domestic ATP event.
Mukund Sasikumar will be the first wildcard participant in the 2022 Maharashtra Open, ensuring the participation of an Indian in South Asia’s only ATP 250 event. Earlier this year, Mukund ultimately won his first title in September at an M25 Futures competition in Sintra, Portugal, after waiting five years. After a tense first half of the year, the 25 ranking points he earned from the competition were enough for him to reclaim a spot in the top 400 and gave him some much- needed confidence for the remaining season.
The 2022 Maharashtra Open will feature a challenging singles field consisting of 17 top-100 players, including the former Grand Slam champion Marin Cilic and last year’s runner-up Emil Ruusuvuori. The renowned event will be run by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) in collaboration with the Maharashtra government. Sponsored by Tata Motors, the Maharashtra Open would lead up to the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the season.
The main draw is scheduled from January 2 to January 7, and the qualifiers will start on December 31. In addition to Mukund, the three-time Grand Slam champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury will be among the elite doubles teams competing in the tournament’s exciting doubles category.
Other notable players present at the 2022 Maharashtra Open
Ram, the third-ranked player in the world, and Salisbury, the fourth-ranked player, entered the Tata Open Maharashtra with a team ranking of seven. The American-British pair, who had each won three Grand Slam tournaments, had a very successful 2022 season. They repeated as US Open champions, won two ATP Masters 1000 titles, and finished the year by winning the ATP Finals in Turin.
The champions from the previous year, Bopanna and Ramkumar, will compete again this year, but with different partners. The Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp will partner with two-time winner Bopanna, who is also the top- ranked Indian doubles player in the world at 19 years old. On the other hand, Ramanathan Ramanathan will work with Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela of Mexico.
Other Indians participating in the doubles main draw include Saketh Myneni and Yuki Bhambri. On the other hand, Ramanathan Ramanathan will work with Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela of Mexico. Other Indians participating in the doubles main draw include Saketh Myneni and Yuki Bhambri. In 2022, Myneni and Bhambri won six titles playing together on the ATP Challenger Tour.
The American team of Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow, who won their first ATP Tour doubles championship at the 2022 Southern California Open in San Diego are other notable international athletes that received direct entry. The French team of Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul also received a direct invite to the event. Sander Gille, the former World No. 24, and Joran Vliegen, the previous No. 28, both qualified with a combined rating of 121.
Where to watch the 2022 Maharashtra Open
Open Maharashtra was held behind closed doors the previous year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but fans will return to the stands for the fifth iteration to cheer for their favorite teams. The tickets will be available on Zoonga.com starting on December 26, and entry to the qualifying rounds will be free. The exciting live action from the main draw will be available on Sports18, and JioCinema as Viacom18 Sports is serving as the official broadcast partner of the event.