Former World no. 10 Lucas Pouille and last year’s champion Chun-hsin Tseng will be among the key attractions at the fifth edition of the Bengaluru Open 2023, scheduled from February 20 to 26.
The prestigious ATP Challenger event will be organised by the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association at the KSLTA Stadium.
“Bengaluru has always been a favourite destination for tennis players from across the world. We are delighted to see a similar response this time around too as some of the top names will be seen battling for the title. The Bengaluru Open has always served as a stepping stone for players to enter the ATP Tour or Grand Slams. We are celebrating the fifth edition of the tournament and I’m sure the upcoming edition will bring more exciting action and a treat for the Indian tennis fans,” said Sunil Yajaman, the tournament director.
Pouille registered the biggest win of his career at the 2016 US Open when he stunned great Rafael Nadal in the fourth round. Besides making it to the semifinals at the Australian Open in 2019, the 28-year-old also made quarterfinals appearances at the Wimbledon and US Open in 2016. The French star has won five ATP Tour titles.
Pouille and World no. 110 Tseng will be part of the 32-player singles main draw. Besides 20 direct entries, with a stiff cut-off of 230, the main event will also have three wildcards, six qualifiers and three special exempts.
Mikhail Kukushkin, former World No. 39 and 2020 champion James Duckworth, who was once ranked 46 in the world, will be among the other top players.
British Ryan Peniston and Czech youngster Dalibor Svrcina will also feature in the singles main draw. Peniston made headlines last year, having shocked then World no. 5 Casper Ruud in straight sets on his ATP main draw debut at the Queen’s Club Championships. The 20-year-old Svrcina made his Grand Slam debut in Australia earlier this month.
The qualifiers will be played on February 19 and 20. The main draw begins on February 20.
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