Leander Paes to partner Edouard Roger-Vasselin for Aircel Chennai Open 2013 Indo-French pair all set to make the fight for the doubles title tougher FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION Chennai, December 27, 2012: World No.3 in doubles and defending champion India’s Leander Paes will pair up with Edouard Roger-Vasselin from France for the 2013 edition of Aircel Chennai Open. India’s only ATP World Tour tennis event will take place at Chennai’s SDAT Tennis Stadium from December 31, 2012 to January 6, 2013. Paes would be looking to complete a hat-trick in Chennai following the 2011 and 2012 titles he won with Mahesh Bhupathi and Janko Tipsarevic respectively. Paes has had a good run in 2012, winning four titles including the Australian Open and reaching the finals in Tokyo and US Open. A veteran at Chennai Open, Paes has won six titles in the 17 editions of the tournament so far. For the 29 year-old French Roger-Vasselin, 2012 has been a landmark year, having won three doubles titles, he reached a career-best doubles ranking of 38 before finishing the year on 43. Pairing up with Paes for the first time, Roger-Vasselin will certainly have a lot to learn from the 39 year-old doubles legend Paes. This pairing will add zest to what is already turning out to be a formidable doubles line-up at the Aircel Chennai Open 2013. While one half of the erstwhile ‘Indian Express’ and current World No. 11 Mahesh Bhupathi will pair-up with World No. 5 Daniel Nestor, World No. 12 & doubles specialist Rohan Bopanna will be pairing-up Rajeev Ram for the event. The tournament already has four doubles players from the top 20, including two ranked among the top ten. Commenting on the announcement, Mr. Karti P Chidambaram, Chairman – Tournament Organising Committee, Vice President – AITA & TNTA said, “It is always a pleasure to have Leander Paes playing in Chennai. Besides him being a fine doubles player, he is also the most successful here with six titles under his belt. I would like to wish Paes and Roger-Vasselin all the best for the tournament and the upcoming season.” Ashu Jindal, COO, IMG Reliance said, “Over the past few years, Indians have been doing exceedingly well in doubles. India boasts of three top 20 doubles’ players in the world and with Paes pairing-up with Roger-Vasselin, we are extremely proud to announce that we have all of them playing at this year’s tournament.” “Paes and Roger-Vasselin are pairing up for the first time at the 2013 edition of the Aircel Chennai Open. While enough has been written and said about Leander, it will be a tremendous learning opportunity for Roger-Vasselin. Going by their individual records and playing styles, I am pretty certain the duo will give the others a run for their money in this tournament”, said, Tournament Director Tom Annear. ABOUT AIRCEL CHENNAI OPEN 2013 The USD 430,000 Aircel Chennai Open, owned by IMG and operated and organized by IMG Reliance, is India and South Asia's only ATP World Tour event. Started in 1996, by IMG, a global leader in sports management and marketing, the tournament has completed sixteen successful years of existence, branding Chennai and India on the global tennis map thus creating a legacy of sorts of promoting international tennis in India. Winner of the prestigious ATP's Player Services Award of Excellence (2006) for its outstanding organization and wonderful hospitality towards the participants and ATP's Best Marketing Award (2008), the event has acquired the status of a much sought-after tennis event for both players and fans alike in the International tennis circuit. The 18th edition of the tournament will be held from December 31, 2012 to January 6, 2013 at the SDAT Tennis stadium in Nungambakkam, Chennai. The tournament is conducted in Chennai under the aegis of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) and is organized with the active collaboration of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) and Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA). ABOUT IMG TENNIS For nearly four decades, IMG Tennis has led the industry in the areas of player representation, tournament management, tour marketing, television-related initiatives, and teaching academies. The company’s rich heritage in tennis dates back to 1968 with the signing of its first tennis client, Rod Laver, by Mark H. McCormack. IMG Tennis anticipates the trends, nurtures the talent, and maximizes the opportunities for players, organizations, corporate marketers, and fans of tennis. IMG represents many top players on both the WTA and ATP Tours, along with a bevy of future stars poised to make their mark on the professional game. IMG also pridres itself on representing many of the legends of the game. IMG's roster of tennis clients includes Novak Djokovic,Bjorn Borg, Lindsay Davenport, Chris Evert, Mary Joe Fernandez, John McEnroe, Rafael Nadal, Monica Seles, Maria Sharapova, and Venus Williams. ABOUT IMG RELIANCE In 2010 Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), India's largest and most recognized private sector company, and IMG Worldwide (IMG), the world’s leading sports marketing and management company, announced the formation of an equal joint venture to develop, market and manage sports and entertainment in India. The joint venture company, IMG Reliance Pvt. Ltd., will create and operate major sports and entertainment assets in the country. In its first initiative, IMG Reliance entered into an agreement with the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) to create a new professional basketball league and manage all aspects of the commercial rights to the game in India. IMG Reliance signed a 15-year agreement with the AIFF, to improve, popularize and promote the game of football throughout India, from the grassroots to the professional level. IMG Reliance has also created a scholarship program to identify and train talented young Indians from sports including - basketball, soccer and tennis–at IMG’s world-class sports training facilities at IMG Academies in Bradenton, Florida. # # # For more information please contact ZZEBRA PUBLIC RELATIONS Puneet Chadha- 09884440937- puneet@zzebra.net Neha Parab Kandalgaonkar- 9892194965- neha@zzebra.net