MUMBAI: Ten Sports will kick off its French Open campaign on 23 May at 2:30 pm. The tourney, played in the red clay surface of Roland Garros, has a 23 May to 5 June schedule.
The 2005 French Open will feature an impressive roster of international stars from World No.1 Roger Federer in the men's quarter to World No.2 Maria Sharapova in the women's sector apart from the tennis greats like Davenport, the William sisters, Lleyton Hewitt, Marat Safin, World No.5 Andy Roddick among others.
Sania Mirza: Plans on the table
But for the Indian tennis fans, Sania Mirza matters. The Mirza girl is already on fire making it big in some of the recent tournaments. After losing out to Jelena Jankovic in the Dubai open and missing the recently held Federation Cup, the Indian tennis sensation is keen to make her presence felt after recovering from a long sustaining ankle injury.
Keeping in view the huge viewer interest in Sania, Ten Sports has made special arrangements with the French Tennis Federation to ensure that all her matches starting from the first round will be shown live. Sania Mirza, currently the 72nd seed in the world is rearing to stamp her presence at the French open, states an official release.
The channel has broadcast this premier tennis event ever since it was launched in 2002. With the new deal, the French Open will be available live and exclusive to millions of tennis fans in India only on Ten Sports, the release adds.
Ten Sports has recently bagged the telecast right to the WTA Sunfeast Open to be held in Kolkata from 19 September. The channel has also pocketed the telecast rights to tournaments including the Indian Open, French Open and Dubai Open.