The Aircel Chennai Open is the annual season-opening tournament, held in India. The 2015 edition of the tournament featuresseveral international superstars as well as promising Indian players. Legends of the game such as Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi are alsotakingpart, in the doubles section.The ATP 250 tournament has frequently brought to the fore young players who have gone on to make a name for themselves. We take a look at the best youngsters at the 2015 Aircel Chennai Open.
#1 Borna Coric
18-year-old Borna Coric meteorically rose to fame last year after beating Rafael Nadal at the Basel ATP 500 tournament. But that wasn’t his only achievement. The talented teenager is currently the youngest player in the top 100. He was also given the ATP Star of Tomorrow award by the ATP in November 2014.
The Croat won the US Open junior title in 2013, and is a star to look out for in 2015.
#2 Ramkumar Ramanathan
Ramkumar Ramanathan has shown a lot of promise in his career already. The 20-year-old made headlines at the Aircel Chennai Open in 2014 after qualifying as a wild card and beating Somdev Devvarman in the first round.
The local boy has a great advantage with his height, standing tall at 6’2”. He trains at the Sanchez-Casal Academy in Barcelona, Spain and idolises Roger Federer. One can only hope that he is able to replicate the game of the Swiss Maestro.
Ramanathan won six ITF titles in 2014.
#3 Jiri Vesely
Jiri Vesely of Czech Republic has been one of the players to look out for in the past 12 months. After being awarded the ATP Star of Tomorrow Award in 2013, Vesely made his mark on the big stage in 2014. He received a wildcard entry at Wimbledon and made the most of it by defeating Gael Monfils in the second round.
Later in the year, Vesely won his first doubles title at the Kremlin Cup in Russia. In 2011, he won the juniors’ singles and doubles Australian Open titles. He also won the gold medal in doubles at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games.
Currently ranked 65th in the world, the 21-year-old has a bright future ahead of him in 2015.
#4 Elias Ymer
18-year-old Elias Ymer is a promising talent from Sweden. He has a powerful forehand and although still ranked 227th in the world, the teenager is bound to make drastic leaps in the rankings in the upcoming year.
Ymer won 5 ITF titles in 2014. He manged to win the first round at the 2015 Aircel Chennai Open before falling to the experienced Giles Muller in the second round. The Swedish star is definitely one to watch out for in the near future.