Mumbai: Viacom18 Sports is the official broadcast partner of the fifth edition of Tata Open Maharashtra. The tennis tournament will be airing live on Sports18 – 1 SD, Sports18 – 1 HD and JioCinema.

The Tata Open Maharashtra, which returns to the opening week of the ATP calendar, will be held at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune from 31 December to 7 January.

The upcoming edition will feature some of the biggest stars from the ATP Tour, including former Grand Slam champion Marin Cilic, last year’s finalist Emil Ruusuvuori and four other Top-50 players along with 11 top-100 players in the singles main draw.

“We are thrilled to welcome Viacom18 Sports on board. In a short period, Sports18 and JioCinema have caught the attention of fans across the country by bringing in world-class sporting action. I am confident that this association will take the tournament to greater heights," said Tata Open Maharashtra tournament director Prashant Sutar.

“We are strengthening our position as the home of world-class sporting action that fans in India can appreciate and enjoy,” said Viacom18 Sports chief strategy officer Hursh Shrivastava. “The addition of Tata Open Maharashtra, South Asia’s only ATP250 event, reiterates our effort to build one of the most-loved sports networks with a rich and diverse portfolio.”

“Tata Open Maharashtra is the biggest tennis event in Indian sporting history, and this year will be a celebratory edition for us for every tennis fan in India. Broadcast of the action always helps you reach a larger audience and create new supporters for the sport, which eventually bolsters its overall growth,” All India Tennis Association joint secretary and MSLTA secretary Sunder Iyer  commented.