DOHA (Qatar): India’s Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Ramkumar Ramanathan are among the 128 players vying for the sixteen qualifying slots of the Australian Open (AO) up for grabs at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex here from January 10 to 13.
The qualifying draw will take place on Saturday and will be streamed live on all Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) and AO social media accounts as well.
Ramkumar, ranked 188 on the ATP ranking computer, who has one stunning victory over current world No.3 Dominic Thiem some three years back in Turkey. He will joins the ranks of compatriot and world no. 137 Sumit Nagal, who features in the main draw.
Prajnesh, ranked 128, is gunning for a third-consecutive Australian Open appearance.
In his first Grand Slam appearance, the 2019 Australian Open, the Indian fought hard against American Frances Tiafoe
before being eliminated in the first round. Prajnesh would go on to play the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open in 2019, but was knocked out in the first round in all of them.
For the first time in the 116 years history of the Grand Slam event the Australian Open qualifiers are held outside Australia with the main draw matches to be held from February 8 to 21 in Melbourne.
“The qualifiers is just a few days away. We are impressed with the level of our preparations and readiness for this tournament. Qatar’s reputation as a history-maker, especially in sports, is well-known globally, and we are happy that we are about to add to the long list of our sporting achievements with this event,” said Karim Alami, Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) Board Member.
The tournament is held under the strictest health and safety condition. To ensure this, all the members of the organizing
committee, staff, and volunteers have undergone a PCR test to protect all the participants’ safety.
Another round of PCR test is also scheduled for everyone involved in the tournament on January 9.
The ticket-free tournament is open to all, and spectators will be allowed in on a first-come, first-served basis as only 30 percent stadium capacity is allowed in line with the essential health protocols and guidelines occasioned by the prevailing global COVID-19 pandemic.
