Wawrinka to defend Chennai Open tennis title

Swiss world number 17, Stanislas Wawrinka will start the new year by defending his title at the $450,000 ATP Chennai Open tennis tournament from January 2-8, organisers said on Thursday. Wawrinka, who beat Xavier Malisse of Belgium in this year's final, will make his fourth successive appearance in South Asia's only ATP event in the southern Indian city of Chennai. The tournament also features world number nine Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia, number 10 Nicolas Almagro of Spain, Malisse and former Chennai Open champion Marin Cilic of Croatia. World number 31 Milos Raonic, the 20-year-old from Canada who is regarded as one of the brightest prospects on the circuit, will also play in Chennai, the organisers said in a statement. The tournament on the hard courts of the Nungambakkam Tennis Stadium, will serve as a warm-up for the season's first Grand Slam, the Australian Open, which starts in Melbourne on January 16.