Even as the world winds down the year of 2007, the India's southern metropolis Chennai is getting decked up for its annual tennis treat. Fist-pumping pros and top-class tennis are on the menu on New Year's eve as the Chennai Open will enter its 13th edition, with possibly the most glittering player field ever.
If the meaty Rafael Nadal runs out of steam; there is Marcos Baghdatis full of spunk and smiles, Mikhail Youzhny and his military salute and disciplined play, defending champion Xavier Malisse hoping for the Chennai luck and the old warrior Carlos Moya ready to take over.
"It's a new season, new feeling," top seed Nadal told reporters on the eve of the tournament in Chennai on Sunday. "I am hoping to do well next year; I am sure I'll have lots of chances so for now my focus is on the Chennai Open."
While the world no. 2 continued to hog all the limelight, holder Malisse, who is coming back from a wrist injury and is currently ranked 112, made a quiet entry into the draw.
A former top-20 player, Malisse will take on Luxembourg's Gilles Muller in the first round while Nadal faces Frenchman Mathieu Montcourt.
Malisse floored Nadal in the semi-final the last time here with a knock-out performance, but having played only five tournaments since his Chennai Open triumph, he's giving the Spaniard the edge this time.
"Surely the match against Nadal was the best tennis I've played," said the Belgian. "This year is a little different. I have played only two matches in the last 9-10 months. I have to play as many matches I can here to get the confidence back.
"The first seed always has the best chance to win. We will see how the draw plays out and anybody can win, but at this moment I'll say Nadal is the favourite."
Malisse missed most of last season due to a wrist injury, but having won the first 'double' at Chennai Open, he is hopeful that the place will continue to bless him. But the place has a record of disowning it's champions, with Moya the only player to have defending his title.
RIGHT TIME
Players are fresher and keener at the beginning of the season and the venue provides the perfect stop-over for players on their way to the Australian Open. While IMG and tournament director Fernando Soler have got in top-class players, especially from Spain, the tournament has taken off in the past few years after an initial snag.
The tournament's success lies in the varied personalities it has been able to attract and keep.
And they could not have asked for more contrasting number one and two seeds.
Nadal is of Spanish grit and Baghdatis of the Cyprus flair. While the Spaniard hates to lose a point even in practice, Baghdatis, who created a ripple at the 2005 Australian Open, borders on the careless at times.
With expectations heightened from the entertaining 2005 campaign in Melbourne, Baghdatis has rarely hit the right notes since. His results undermine the talent, and injuries and indifferent form meant the colourful Cypriot won only one singles title last season.
Tennis, an individual game, is more about personalities and Moya is God in Chennai!
The crowd here loves everything about him -- the solid serve, the spanking forehand and the gentleman in shorts, sleeveless tees and bandanas. So Moya keeps coming back, offering his best, trying hard even though his body struggles nowadays and even jokes about becoming a 'citizen' here.
Seeded third this year, Moya faces Russia's Teimruaz Gabashvili in the first round and may run into compatriot Nadal in the semis.
Youzhny makes his first trip to Chennai since 2001. Though a relatively unknown face in this side of the world; the Russian is set to make an impression with his smart tennis. The world no. 19 is the veritable dark horse in this star-studded affair.
Unfortunately and inevitably, the Open lacks an Indian hero.
With Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi both deciding to shun the tournament, the onus will be on wild-cards Prakash Amritraj and Vishnu Vardhan to add 'local' flavour.
While Amritraj got the luck of the draw and will play a qualifier in the first round, Hyderabad's Vardhan, the national grasscourt champion, will take on France's Edouarc Roger-Vasselin.
In the qualifiers, all the Indians were cleared out by the second round.
Davis Cupper Karan Rastogi, the best bet to make it to the main draw, lost 5-7, 3-5 to Russia's Alexandre Kudravtsev on Sunday morning. The Mumbai player had a checkered year in 2007, beginning with a fighting performance in Chennai, and is struggling to break into the 300 barrier.
Stephen Amritraj caved in 1-6, 1-6 to Italy's Stefano Galvani while Mustafa Ghouse retired while trailing 6-2, 0-3 to top seed Igor Kunitsyn of Russia.
The Amritraj cousins and Rastogi-Ghouse have received wildcard entries in the doubles draw but face a daunting task as they take on second seeds Michal Mertinak and Jaroslav Levinsky, and Aisam Qureshi and Marin Cilic in their respective first rounds.
