Globosport of Indian tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi and ITC Foods will jointly hold an exclusive tennis tournament "Sunfeast Open 2005" in Kolkata Sep 19-25 for women players in the domestic and international circuit.

Touted as Asia's biggest sporting spectacle, the week-long extravaganza will witness some of the top players under the 100 WTA (Women Tennis Association) rankings, including Sania Mirza, in action for the title cup and other cash prizes amounting to $170,000.

"The objective of the tournament is to give a fillip to women's tennis in India and pave the way for nurturing younger talent. The recent match-winning performances by Sania and Shikha Uberoi in the national and international events have inspired several fellow players to emulate them," Bhupathi told reporters here Tuesday.

"Sunfeast Open will provide an opportunity to empower the upcoming players to realise their potential," he added.

"The future of women's tennis in the sub-continent is bright. Upcoming players are aware that overseas competition is pretty tough and they need to work hard for that," Bhupathi said.

He also said he was preparing to play in the French Open doubles with Tod Woodbridge and with Lisa Rayan in mixed doubles. Later, he will move to London for participating in the Wimbledon and to New York for the US Open.

In all, 32 players will be selected to play in the singles and doubles of the Sunfeast Open. Those under the top 100 WTA will be qualified to play, while the rest - under the top 300 WTA rankings - will gain entry through wild card.

The top rankings will be decided after the French, Wimbledon and the US Open in the next three months.

Ten Sports, which bagged the broadcasting rights, will air the tournament live in Asia and the Middle East. The telecast is likely to be for over four hours in the night as the games will be played under floodlights in the indoor stadium.

Asked whether the footage will be shared with Doordarshan for wider coverage, Ten Sports vice-president (programming) Peter Hutton said the channel would consider the proposal if the national network approached them.

According to ITC Foods Division chief executive Ravi Naware, the Sunfeast Open logo captures the spirit of tennis against the historic landmark of Kolkata city - Howrah Bridge - in the backdrop.