2008 Chennai Open
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Chennai Open was a tennis
tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 13th edition of the Chennai Open
, and was part of the International Series
of the 2008 ATP Tour
. It took place at the SDAT Tennis Stadium
in Chennai
, India, from December 31, 2007 through January 6, 2008.
The singles draw was headlined by Association of Tennis Professionals
(ATP) No. 2, three-time French Open champion and 2007 Chennai semifinalist Rafael Nadal
, 2007 Paris Masters semifinalist Marcos Baghdatis
, and 2007 US Open quarterfinalist and 2004 and 2005 Chennai
winner Carlos Moyá
. Also competing in the field were 2007 St. Petersburg semifinalist Mikhail Youzhny
, 2007 Metz semifinalist Nicolas Mahut
, Jürgen Melzer
, Werner Eschauer
and Marc Gicquel
.
and Rafael Nadal
entered ATP Tour
history as the longest three-setter since a 1993 Andrei Cherkasov
win over Andrea Gaudenzi
in Tel Aviv
on the score of 6–7(6), 7–6(2), 7–5. Both matches lasted three hours and fifty-four minutes. Moya and Nadal's match featured three tie-breaks, with Moya looking on course for victory in the second set, gaining four match points, before Nadal caught up and won the set decider 10–8. An aggressive Moya kept coming to the net, while Nadal's passing shots kept him in the match. Moya had yet another opportunity to win as he served for the match at 5–4 in the third, but Nadal prevented him to capitalize again, eventually claiming a 6–7(3), 7–6(8), 7–6(1) victory. After the match Moya commented: "the crowd reaction was unbelievable, this is one of the things that motivates you to go on at 31 years of age." Nadal admitted it was an "emotional match" and said of Moya "I don't remember the last time I saw him play so well."
Mikhail Youzhny
def.
Rafael Nadal
, 6–0, 6–1
Sanchai Ratiwatana
/ Sonchat Ratiwatana
def.
Marcos Baghdatis
/
Marc Gicquel
, 6–4, 7–5
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 13th edition of the Chennai Open
Chennai Open
The Chennai Open is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour...
, and was part of the International Series
ATP International Series
The International Series was a series of professional tennis tournaments held internationally as part of the ATP Tour until 2008....
of the 2008 ATP Tour
2008 ATP Tour
The ATP Tour is the elite tour for professional tennis organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals. The ATP Tour includes the four Grand Slam tournaments, the Tennis Masters Cup, the ATP Masters Series, the International Series Gold and the International Series tournaments.-Schedule:This...
. It took place at the SDAT Tennis Stadium
SDAT Tennis Stadium
Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu Tennis Stadium, commonly known as SDAT Stadium, sometimes also called Nungambakkam Tennis Stadium, is located in Nungambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, and plays host for the Chennai Open ATP Tennis championships held in the first week of January every...
in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, India, from December 31, 2007 through January 6, 2008.
The singles draw was headlined by Association of Tennis Professionals
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
(ATP) No. 2, three-time French Open champion and 2007 Chennai semifinalist Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
, 2007 Paris Masters semifinalist Marcos Baghdatis
Marcos Baghdatis
At the French Open, Baghdatis lost in the second round in five sets to Frenchman Julien Benneteau, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6.At Wimbledon, Baghdatis defeated British player Andy Murray in the fourth round in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, Baghdatis beat the 2002 champion and former world no. 1...
, and 2007 US Open quarterfinalist and 2004 and 2005 Chennai
2005 Chennai Open
The 2005 Chennai Open was an ATP tournament held in Chennai, India. The tournament was held from January 3 to January 10.-Men's Singles: Carlos Moyà defeated Paradorn Srichaphan 3–6, 6–4, 7–6...
winner Carlos Moyá
Carlos Moyá
Carlos Moya Llompart is a retired former world no. 1 tennis player from Spain. He was the French Open singles champion in 1998 and was the singles runner-up at the 1997 Australian Open. In 2004, he helped his country win the Davis Cup. He currently resides in Switzerland...
. Also competing in the field were 2007 St. Petersburg semifinalist Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years....
, 2007 Metz semifinalist Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Pierre Armand Mahut is a French tennis player. Mahut is right-handed and has previously won the Orange Bowl in 1999, becoming professional in 2000. He is a good serve and volleyer and a doubles expert, having won many tournaments with his doubles partner Julien Benneteau. His career high...
, Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer
Jürgen Melzer is an Austrian tennis player. He reached a career-high ranking of no. 8 on 18 April 2011, and a doubles ranking of no. 6 on 13 September 2010. He is the only current player on the ATP Tour to be ranked in the top 10 in both singles and doubles. He is a left-handed tennis player, but...
, Werner Eschauer
Werner Eschauer
Werner Eschauer is a now inactive Austrian professional tennis player.In his first 12 years as a pro, Eschauer found little success, winning just 7 ATP-level matches and cracking the top-100 for just a few weeks in late 2003, peaking at #96....
and Marc Gicquel
Marc Gicquel
Marc Gicquel is a professional male tennis player from France. He turned pro in 1999.-Tennis career:...
.
Majorcan Showdown
The semifinal that opposed fellow Majorcans Carlos MoyáCarlos Moyá
Carlos Moya Llompart is a retired former world no. 1 tennis player from Spain. He was the French Open singles champion in 1998 and was the singles runner-up at the 1997 Australian Open. In 2004, he helped his country win the Davis Cup. He currently resides in Switzerland...
and Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
entered ATP Tour
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
history as the longest three-setter since a 1993 Andrei Cherkasov
Andrei Cherkasov
Andrei Cherkasov is a former professional tennis player from Russia.Born in Ufa, Soviet Union, Cherkasov first came to the tennis world's attention as an outstanding junior player. In 1987, he was ranked the World No. 3 junior player and finished runner-up in the boy's singles at the US Open...
win over Andrea Gaudenzi
Andrea Gaudenzi
Andrea Gaudenzi is a former tennis player from Italy, who turned professional in 1990.Gaudenzi was born in Faenza, Emilia-Romagna. A right-hander, he represented his native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was defeated in the third round by America's eventual...
in Tel Aviv
ATP Tel Aviv
The Tel Aviv Open is a defunct, ATP Tour affiliated tennis tournament. It was played from 1979-1996. It was held at the Israel Tennis Center at Ramat HaSharon, near Tel Aviv, Israel and was played on outdoor hard courts. The tournament was played as a ATP Challenger Series event in 1998 and 1999...
on the score of 6–7(6), 7–6(2), 7–5. Both matches lasted three hours and fifty-four minutes. Moya and Nadal's match featured three tie-breaks, with Moya looking on course for victory in the second set, gaining four match points, before Nadal caught up and won the set decider 10–8. An aggressive Moya kept coming to the net, while Nadal's passing shots kept him in the match. Moya had yet another opportunity to win as he served for the match at 5–4 in the third, but Nadal prevented him to capitalize again, eventually claiming a 6–7(3), 7–6(8), 7–6(1) victory. After the match Moya commented: "the crowd reaction was unbelievable, this is one of the things that motivates you to go on at 31 years of age." Nadal admitted it was an "emotional match" and said of Moya "I don't remember the last time I saw him play so well."
Singles
Mikhail YouzhnyMikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years....
def.
Rafael NadalRafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
, 6–0, 6–1
- It was Mikhail Youzhny's 1st title of the year, and his 4th overall.
Doubles
Sanchai RatiwatanaSanchai Ratiwatana
Sanchai Ratiwatana is a professional tennis player from Thailand. He turned professional in 2004....
/
Sonchat RatiwatanaSonchat Ratiwatana
Sonchat Ratiwatana is a professional tennis player from Thailand. In 2007, Sonchat and his twin brother Sanchai Ratiwatana won their first ATP doubles title in Bangkok in their home country...
def.
Marcos BaghdatisMarcos Baghdatis
At the French Open, Baghdatis lost in the second round in five sets to Frenchman Julien Benneteau, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6.At Wimbledon, Baghdatis defeated British player Andy Murray in the fourth round in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, Baghdatis beat the 2002 champion and former world no. 1...
/
Marc GicquelMarc Gicquel
Marc Gicquel is a professional male tennis player from France. He turned pro in 1999.-Tennis career:...
, 6–4, 7–5