'Cilic's exit bad for the tournament, but good for me'

For any tournament's long term prospects it is imperative for its big players in the draw to go the distance.

And it becomes even more important for tournaments bereft of stars -- players capable of pulling in crowds to the stadium.

Unfortunately, for Chennai it hasn't been the case on many occasions. Save a few, most of the big ticket players -- Boris Becker, Richard Krajicek, Yevgeny Kafelnikov et al -- have flattered to deceive here, making regular early exits and taking the sheen out of the later rounds.

The top seeds in the last two editions -- Nikolay Davydenko and Robin Soderling -- made first round exits, thereby devoiding the tournament of its lone marquee name.

And this year per se, it has literally been the worst case scenario.

For despite having a competitive field featuring four players in the top 30, the tournament is lacking in its star quotient. Players like Tomas Berdych, Marin Cilic and Richard Gasquet are competent players no doubt. But they aren't exactly big ticket players.

However, considering they are the biggest names this year, it was imperative all of them went the distance. But it was not to be.

For the tournament suffered what was probably its biggest upset on the opening day itself when two-time defending champion Marin Cilic crashed out.

The 22-year-old Croat was beaten 6-4, 6-7 (0), 2-6 by Kei Nishikori, thereby making the bottom half of the draw lighter.

Though the result wasn't unexpected -- considering Nishikori had bested Cilic the last occasion they met (at the US Open last year) -- it certainly meant a blow for the organisers struggling to put together a competitive field in face of big competition from high profile events at Doha and Brisbane.

The Japanese was quick to admit that he had done the tournament a great disservice.

"It is bad for the tournament," admitted Nishikori, adding, "But I can do nothing about it.

"It is a good result for me though."

Cilic, aiming to become the tournament's first three-time winner, was palpably disappointed with the result. But he wasted no time in crediting the Japanese for his effort.

"By winning the second set he wrested back the momentum," said the second seed. "It was difficult to come back after that," he added.

The organisers though will now be hoping that Tomas Berdych, the top seed, lasts the distance. The Czech opens his campaign against Frederico Gil of Portugal on Tuesday.

And if he follows Cilic to the exit door, the men's singles competition will lose its sheen.

On second thoughts, the title will be up for grabs.