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Tag: Aircel Chennai Open

  • Magic Bus named as official charity partner for Aircel Chennai Open 2015 edition

    Magic Bus named as official charity partner for Aircel Chennai Open 2015 edition

    MUMBAI: The organisers of the Aircel Chennai Open have announced that Magic Bus India Foundation, a non-governmental organisation that steers underprivileged children towards a better life with better awareness, life skills, and opportunities, is the official charity partner of the tournament. This is the first year Magic Bus is partnering with the event.

    Through the association, Magic Bus will execute the sport for development programme in Chennai in 2015 for underprivileged children, financed out of the ATP Aces for charity grant. The ATP Aces for charity is a global initiative aimed at giving back to communities where ATP World Tour events are played, and supporting tournament and player charitable activities, which focus on causes from education to youth and community services to health and fitness.

    Last month, the NGO organised its 2014 benefit during which the Open sold its premium VIP seats to Magic Bus to help raise money for charity. During an event organised at the Stadium’s Centre Court, ATP Supervisor Mark Darby, presented a cheque of $15,000 to founder and executive chairman Matthew Spacie. The proceeds will be used by Magic Bus to enrol 1,000 underprivileged children across Chennai into the Magic Bus sport for development programme.

    Magic Bus will invite 350 children enrolled in Magic Bus programmes in Chennai to participate in the Kid’s tennis clinic and witness centre court matches to expose children to the sport.

    Magic Bus founder and executive chairman Matthew Spacie said, “Through a number of programmes in partnership with the tournament and the ATP, we hope to give millions of children living in poverty the opportunity to control the way they view the world, the freedom to choose the role they will play in it, and the power to define their own destiny.”

    IMG Reliance chief operating officer Ashu Jindal commented, “We are happy to enter into a meaningful partnership with Magic Bus India Foundation and look forward to using the platform that the Aircel Chennai Open gives us to make a positive difference to the lives of the underprivileged in India. We welcome Magic Bus into the ACO family today.”

     

  • Aircel Chennai Open gears up for its 20th edition. Mind It!

    Aircel Chennai Open gears up for its 20th edition. Mind It!

    Mumbai: The year saw many sports being launched in the country, reconfirming the belief that sports bug has bitten the country.

    While India saw two new tennis leagues, Champions Tennis League and the International Premier Tennis League, being introduced, the Aircel Chennai Open slated to begin from 5 to 11 January 2015, will be in its 20th edition.

     Aircel remains the title sponsor till 2016, the platinum sponsors include Government of Tamil Nadu, Indian Bank, United India Assurance, Murugappa Group and Indian Overseas Bank. The official partners are FedEx, Ricoh, KGS , FIAT, The Hindu, Hyatt Regency, TATA water Plus, Billroth Hospitals, Air Asia, Wilson, Reliance Footprint, and Chennai Live FM. Tennishub.in will be ‘Official Merchandise Partner’ of the tournament.

    Star Sports had bagged the broadcast deal for three years for the Open till 2016. Fans can watch the live telecast of group stage, quarterfinals, semifinals and finals of the open on its channels and live streaming will also be available on starsports.com.

    The tournament, which first began in 1996 and owned by IMG and organised by IMG Reliance, has set a budget of Rs 12 crore. The title sponsor provides 42 per cent of the revenue which is five crore, the other sponsors bring in 37 per cent of the revenue amounting Rs 4.5 crore, the broadcast partner brings in 17 per cent of the revenue share, which is close to two crore while the ticket revenue is pegged close to Rs 50 lakh.

    For this year’s edition the assembly of talent includes four top-25 players and three 2014 ATP World Tour Award winners who will be participating. These include world number four and defending Singles champion Stan Wawrinka, Feliciano Lopez, Roberto Bautista Agut, and former Champion Janko Tipsarevic, returning to competitive tennis after surgery and granted a wild card. India’s Somdev Devvarman and Ramkumar Ramanathan have been granted wild cards

    The tickets of the tournament have been priced at Rs 5,000, 3,000 and 1,500 on the tournaments official ticketing partner, bookmyshow.com.

    Speaking about the three tennis league in India, GroupM ESP national director entertainment sports and live events Vinit Karnik says, “The Champions Tennis League may need some improvement, while the IPTL has created a mark in terms of visibility because of the big stars . Tennis is still considered to be a premium sport. Therefore, one needs to build affinity for the sport, since the affinity levels are low because there are not many people playing the sport. Therefore consistency, in terms of ratings, viewership and followers will not be there for the three leagues.  But these three are trying to create enough buzz that at least the urban youth start playing tennis.” he concludes.

     

  • Aircel Chennai Open to celebrate two decades of tennis in India

    Aircel Chennai Open to celebrate two decades of tennis in India

    MUMBAI: With Thomas Enqvist and Mark Petchey’s first tennis match, the seeds of India’s first and only ATP World Tour were sown in 1996. 20 years down, the tournament has grown into a marquee ATP tennis event in south Asia, giving birth to many a tennis champions, attracting some of the finest names in the world tennis circuit and spawning a multitude of fans across the nation.

    The 2015 edition of the Aircel Chennai Open will mark 20 years since the very first game was played in India and the organisers are all set to celebrate the occasion with a host of activities in Chennai. The event is scheduled to be held at Chennai’s SDAT Stadium from 5 to 11 January 2015.

    The celebration includes the launch of a special logo created to mark the occasion, a renovated SDAT Stadium that has hosted the event proudly since 1997 after it shifted from New Delhi and a host of special activities targeted at fans and tennis enthusiasts including schoolchildren and the youth, apart from exciting marketing initiatives across India.

    The tournament has had a long and exhilarating journey in India, thanks to the constant support of the Government of Tamil Nadu, the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA), the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, the All India Tennis Association (AITA), the ATP and organisers IMG Reliance that put together their resources into developing the tournament into a bigger and better property each year.

    Tamil Nadu Tennis association president M.A Alagappan said, “As we celebrate two decades of the tournament in the country, it gives us an opportunity to not just celebrate the occasion but look back with pride at our achievements and renew our focus to take the tournament to greater heights in the seasons to come. I congratulate everyone involved and thank India’s tennis community for its support.”

     IMG Reliance chief operating officer Ashu Jindal commented, “The 20-year journey of the tournament has been nothing short of spectacular. The event has become a role model in the region and we are thrilled with the progress that has been made in every area of the game. Since its arrival in the city, the event has weaved itself into the fabric of Chennai and is now an integral part of Chennai’s culture. We plan to celebrate the occasion with a host of activities and it is a pleasure to have arrived at this landmark year.”

    The ATP World Tour 250 event has built a strong legacy for being a ‘Springboard of Champions’, with former winners including Grand Slam champions Pat Rafter and Carlos Moya. Apart from Rafter and Moya, players to have graced the courts in the past include Rafael Nadal, Boris Becker, Richard Krajicek, Yvgeny Kafelnikov, Byron Black and India’s own Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi.

    Aircel Chennai Open Tournament director Tom Annear said, “The Aircel Chennai Open has become the longest running annual tennis event in south Asia and I am glad that we are completing the 20th year in 2015. As we endeavour to set new benchmarks with each edition, this milestone gives us reason to celebrate our achievements and congratulate each stakeholder for the fantastic efforts over the years. It has been our aim to place India into the top league of tennis playing nations in the world and I am glad that we are getting closer to that with each passing year.”

    Doubles Winners Source: Wikipedia

     Singles Winners Source: Wikipedia

     

  • Tata Water Plus is Aircel Chennai Open 2013 Official Hydration Partner

    MUMBAI: Tata Water Plus, nutrient fortified packaged drinking water, has signed up with the 18th edition of the Aircel Chennai Open as its Official Hydration Partner.

    This will be the first year of partnership for Tata Water Plus. The deal kick starts this December, when Tata Water Plus will provide the hydration for the mega-event, which is scheduled to take place from 31 December to 6 January.

    Tata Water Plus will fulfill the hydration requirements of the people during the event schedule at SDAT Tennis Stadium.

    Tata Water Plus vice president and head marketing and innovations- NourishCo Beverages Arvind Shukla said, “It is a pleasure to associate with the Aircel Chennai Open 2013, India‘s only ATP World Tour championship. This will be our first year as the Official Hydration Partner. We believe adequate hydration and quality nutrition are important aspects of athletic endeavours like professional tennis and other sports which require stamina and strength. We can offer just that with Tata Water Plus as it is nutritionally rich and goes beyond quenching thirst to promoting everyday good health. We are looking forward to a great and longstanding association.”

    IMG Reliance COO Ashu Jindal said, “We are pleased that Tata Water Plus has chosen Aircel Chennai Open to represent their brand in its most high profile partnership. We are excited to partner with Tata Water Plus to build a new and innovative model for sponsorships.”

  • Ricoh, Aircel Chennai Open to strengthen their partnership

    MUMBAI: The organisers of the Aircel Chennai Open have announced that the tournament had extended its association with Ricoh as an Official Sponsor. The company is a trusted technology leader specialising in the office and production printing markets.

    The 18th edition of India’s only and South Asia’s leading ATP World Tour event will be held from 31 December to 6 January and will see an exciting line-up of Indian and International players including four top 20 players in action.

    Ricoh is associated with leading global tennis events that include the coveted Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and their continued association with India’s and South Asia’s only ATP World Tour tennis event is testimony to the significance and stature of the tournament.

    In its capacity as an official sponsor, Ricoh will continue to offer critical state-of-the-art printing and copying services and aid in the smooth conduct of Aircel Chennai Open 2013.

    Ricoh Asia Pacific MD Nobuaki Majima stated, “Aircel Chennai Open is among the most popular tournaments of its kind in this part of the continent. Each year, the event has grown in significance and popularity and has gone on to achieve greater heights. The partnership has been mutually beneficial and very rewarding. It’s an honour to play a part in facilitating such a significant event by offering carbon-friendly document management solutions to ATP. Being associated with a tournament of such high stature complements our effort to extensively promote high quality yet environmental-friendly business solutions to every business. We look forward to strengthening this association in the seasons to come.”

    IMG Reliance COO Ashu Jindal said, said, “Aircel Chennai Open has been privileged to garner support from leading global brands like Ricoh. Chennai has become the definitive ATP World Tour destination in South Asia and as we grow from strength to strength each year, we acknowledge and express our gratitude to partners such as Ricoh for their long standing support to us and to the sport.”

  • Hide & Seek partners Aircel Chennai Open 2012

    Hide & Seek partners Aircel Chennai Open 2012

    MUMBAI: Making a debut on the court, Hide & Seek, the biscuit brand from the house of Parle, has joined hands with the Aircel Chennai Open 2012 as official partner.

    The tennis event, which is India‘s only and South Asia‘s leading ATP World Tour will be held from 2 – 8 January at the SDAT Stadium in Chennai.

    Parle Products Group Product Manager Shalin Desai said, “For us, there are several parallels between the ATP event and the brand. Hide & Seek as a brand appeals to the youth similar to the Aircel Chennai Open. The association gives us an opportunity to participate in one of the most exciting events of the year.”

    A spokesperson from IMG Reliance added, “We are pleased to announce that Parle, the number one biscuit manufacturer in India, is partnering with Aircel Chennai Open 2012 as an Official Partner. It is of great pride to us that a global brand like Parle has chosen to come on board with India‘s only ATP tournament.”

    IMG Reliance operates and organises the Aircel Chennai Open every year.