Gondwana Cup tennis tournament begins

RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh chief minister Dr Raman Singh inaugurated the All India tennis tournament Gondwana Cup on Monday at VIP club Raipur.

Chhattisgarh State Tennis Association

(CSTA) conducting the championship under the aegis of

All India Tennis Association

.

Former governor of the state

Shekhar Dutt

and ace tennis player of the country

Yuki Bhambri

also invited for the inaugural ceremony as a special guest. State government felicitated Bhambari for Rs one lakh on that occasion. Bhambari had won silver medal in the Commonwealth Games and the bronze medal in the Incheon Asian Games; he has also been the winner of the Junior Australian Open.

On this occasion, CM Raman Singh praised former Governer Shekhar Dutt and current CSTA president Vikram Singh Sisodiya for the restoration of the Gondwana Cup and spoke about to provide the basic amenities for tennis in the state.

CSTA president Vikram Singh Sisodiya said "Gondwana Cup is the biggest event of central India. More than eight decades old tournament sustaining in Chhattisgarh due to the big support of the Chief Minister. Through his support we have been trying to promote tennis in our state and take players to the next level. It is due to our constant effort that we managed to conduct Gondwana Cup Tournament every year."

"In order to harness talent in the state, within couple of years we have invited tennis coaches Akhtar Ali, Jaideep Mukharjee, Nandal Bal, Rohit and Zishaan Ali to train players in the state". Sisodiya added.

CSTA general secretary Gurucharan Singh Hora informed "56 players from across India have participated in the sigh in of Gondwana cup tournament. The prize money of this tournament, which will be held from November 27 to December 2, is Rs. 10 lakhs, which is the highest prize money of a single event in any All India tournament in the country".