Are the new Challengers confirmed? (YES!..)

Post by **Dhruv** » Mon Apr 21, 2003 5:46 am

Well, the AITA shows these challengers on their latest calendar however the ATP doesn't (atleast as of the 7th April calendar). MAybe these will sho up on the next update of the ATP calendar. Someone will probably post here when the challengers are confirmed by the ATP. I usually wait until the ATP has something on their calendar officially as then you know it's scheduled unless something untoward happens.

Post by **Dhruv** » Fri May 02, 2003 10:55 am

The 3 challengers are now labelled as 3 $10K+H events in the AITA calendar and that is probably what I think will be held in India about that time. However stranger things do happen..

Post by **Dhruv** » Sun Jun 15, 2003 8:13 pm

And now they are back as 3 $25K challengers. I guess it all depends on how much sponsorship they can get and if they actually have the rights to hold those challengers from the ATP.

I guess there will probably in all likelyhood be 3 tournaments in India later this year with some chances of them being challengers. Maybe someone with more/better info can fill us in. The dates are 29-Sep 06-Oct and 13-Oct. This would be right after the Davis Cup . No confirmation of this on the ATP site though.

PKBasu · Post by **PKBasu** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 6:38 am

I noticed that the only event being held in Kolkata throughout 2003 is an ITF junior event. This is strange as Kolkata is (after Chennai) India's other great cradle of tennis talent -- the home of Leander Paes, Jaidip Mukerjea, Premjit Lall, Dilip Bose (first Indian to reach Wimbledon quarter-final) and lesser talents such as Piperno, Chiradeep Mukerjea, Syed Fazaluddin, Akhtar Ali and Zeeshan Ali. Chennai (the home of the Krishnans and Amritrajs) rightfully hosts the Tata Open. But the complete boycott of Kolkata in 2003 is notably glaring: no futures, Challengers, WTA tour events, nothing! Delhi of course gets a disproportionate number of events, as do places like Lucknow.

Post by **Dhruv** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 1:21 pm

Calcutta did host a $15K futures event and the Davis Cup this year if I am not mistaken, so no they are not neglecting Calcutta.

Post by **jayakris** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 1:46 pm

I think the Kolkatans need to come up with the sponsorship money and conduct the events there. I don't think AITA stands in the way of those who want to conduct events if they can show the guarantee money for the event. There may be exceptions where they have tried to throw their weight around, but generally speaking that is the situation... Talk isn't enough. Need to get things done. If KSLTA, MSLTA, TNTA, APLTA and even CLTA (who supposedly does not get along well with AITA) can all get events, then I don't see why BTA (bengal tennis association) can't.

.. but then again, we don't know what all goes on behind the scenes.

Jay

Post by **Dhruv** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 11:46 am

Well now the 3 challengers are scheduled for
CHALLENGER $ 25,000(Tumkur)
CHALLENGER $ 25,000(Dharwad)
CHALLENGER $ 25,000(Belgaum)
Just between the Davis Cup and the Afro-Asian Games.

These will be followed by
FUTURES $ 10,000(Hyd)
FUTURES $ 10,000(Mumbai)
FUTURES $ 10,000+H(Delhi)

Post by **Dhruv** » Sun Aug 10, 2003 12:45 pm

Ok these challengers, at least the first of them, needs to come onto the schedule by next week because as the entry list cutoff is a a few weeks before it would fall on September 1st. So to give people some time to plan flights etc to India I think 2 weeks notice would be kind of like a minimum.

Here's hoping things turn out well for these events. Also the Futures have been moved around withone in Dehradun now and the $10K+H one in the middle but then again, I'll update when they show up officially.

Post by **jayakris** » Sun Aug 10, 2003 4:14 pm

I am about ready to give up on the Indian challengers. It better hit the ATP calendar by this week, or it really is not going to work. We only have seven weeks left before the first challenger starts, as of today. Four weeks till the players have to enter for it. That is about the miimum notice, as you say... I am beginning to think that these challengers aren't going to happen.

Jay

Post by **jayakris** » Tue Aug 12, 2003 3:14 pm

Good news. I just called ATP and they said the Indian challengers are on the calendar that was released yesterday (Aug 11). So, the players do have 4 weeks time to look into air tickets and visa and ebverything and enter. Cool!

Good job KSLTA!! They are right, that outside of California and New York in the USA, you won't find a state association anywhere that conducts THREE challengers!

Jay

Post by **Dhruv** » Tue Aug 12, 2003 3:37 pm

Phew

. good job KSLTA. For a while there I thought maybe they had bitten off a little more than they could swallow.

PKBasu · Post by **PKBasu** » Wed Aug 13, 2003 12:05 pm

Wonderful stuff from the KSLTA. Clearly Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are India's new leaders in everything -- from the economy to sports!
The Bengal association, for instance, really needs to wake up. I have to say, though, that I was pleasantly surprised at the astonishing pace of economic development even in Kolkata (where I was last week). Only Mumbai is falling behind. Although tennis is being neglected in Calcutta, a proliferation of flyovers, uninterrupted power and a profusion of new shopping malls all over town are transforming the city. Hyderabad and Bangalore I wasn't surprised by; nobody had prepared me to expect an economic boom in Calcutta!

Post by **Dhruv** » Thu Aug 14, 2003 4:12 pm

The events as on the ATP calendar:

29-09-2003 CHALLENGER $ 25,000(Tumkur)
06-10-2003 CHALLENGER $ 25,000(Dharwad)
13-10-2003 CHALLENGER $ 25,000(Belgaum)

These will be followed by
17-11-2003 FUTURES $ 10,000
24-11-2003 FUTURES $ 10,000
01-12-2003 FUTURES $ 10,000

The Sports-India Community