Pune: The refurbished Balewadi Tennis Complex came alive on Wednesday when the first batch of foreign players landed and went through practice and acclimatising sessions ahead of the 32-player Qualifying tournament for the ATP250 series Tata Open Maharashtra tennis tournament, which will be played here from January 1 to 6.
Benoit Paire, who had difficult relations with the French tennis federation and skipped playing Davis Cup, went through the training session after arriving in Pune to take part in the qualifying tournament scheduled to be played from December 30 to 31.
The tennis complex has a new look for Pune’s first ATP tournament, which was hosted for the last 21 years in Chennai.
A fan park with a lot of activities is getting into shape for the upcoming tennis extravaganza that promises to give a boost to already thriving tennis in this part of the region.
Paire and wildcard Arjun Kadhe too practiced on Wednesday as the Pune-based youngster prepared for his first shot at the ATP 250 series tournament.
Besides Paire, Spaniard Tommy Robredo will be the key players in the qualifying draw. Paire, ranked No. 41 in the world, could have easily made the main draw cut for Pune with his ranking, but for delay in sending in confirmation.
Paire, a three-time Chennai semi-finalist, is hoping to put on another notable campaign in India, while Robredo is due to play in India for the first time in 14 years.
