The Tata Open Maharashtra 2020 is a special event for Leander Paes, who is playing his final year of competitive tennis and has chosen this ATP 250 tournament to be his last Indian outing. The 18-time Grand Slam Champion in Men's Doubles and Mixed Double's, Paes along with his Australian partner, Matthew Ebden was in cruise control in their opening match against Divij Sharan and Artem Sitak and defeated them in straight sets to sail into the quarter-finals of the tournament. The challenge awaiting them now is that of the duo of Purav Raja and Ramkumar Ramanathan.
Given how special this is for Paes, he will be giving his everything in this match and Ebden will be there to give steady support. It is not easy to be playing a 'last' anything and Paes, at 46 years of age, would definitely want to play his heart out in his home country before hanging up his racket. The Indo-Aussie pairing were excellent against Sharan and Sitak in their opening match and should they retain a similar form and command, the challenge of Raja and Ramanathan can be overcome.
The all-Indian pair of Raja and Ramanathan ousted Sumit Nagal and Egor Gerasimov to make it to the quarter-finals, in straight sets. However, Paes with his immense experience in playing doubles will have a definite edge in the upcoming clash. Let's hope Paes puts his best foot forward today along with Ebden as they play in the quarters against Raja and Ramanathan.
Here's all you need to know about the
Tata Open Maharashtra 2020:
Date: February 3 - February 9, 2020
Category: ATP 250 Series
Location: Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Complex, Pune, India
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize Money: US$ 610,010
Time: Leander Paes/Matthew Ebden vs Purav Raja/Ramkumar Ramanathan on Centre Court at approx. 7:30 PM IST on 6th February 2020
Where to watch Tata Open Maharashtra 2020?
India - Star Sports and Doordarshan will be broadcasting the matches from February 3.
Live streaming details for Tata Open Maharashta 2020
Tata Open Maharashtra 2020 live stream is available on Tennis TV (a subscription is needed for the service).