Chennai, Nov 12 : Defending champion Marin Cilic, the 21-year-old from Croatia, ranked 13th, has confirmed his participation in the 2010 ATP Aircel Chennai Open tennis to be held January 4-10 here.

Also in the main draw is 24-year-old Stanislas Wawrinka from Switzerland, who is currently ranked 21 but had achieved a career-high of nine last summer.

"Aircel Chennai Open is gaining in stature in ATP World Tour and I expect a very strong line-up in the event. It will be interesting to test my hard court skills again against some top players of the world. It will be fantastic to defend my title," Cilic said in a statement.

Cilic reached the quarterfinals of US Open this year, beating favourite Andy Murray.

Confirming his participation, Olympic gold medal winner in men's doubles Wawrinka said: "I expect Aircel Chennai Open to be a fascinating hard-court contest between some known, seeded players and upcoming talents. India has seen an upsurge of tennis talent recently. It is a good opportunity for them to showcase their skills against the highly seeded players of the world."

M. A Alagappan, president of Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA), said: "The confirmation from top seeded players such as Marin Cilic and Stanislas Wawrinka will further enhance the popularity and recognition of the tournament amongst tennis fans."

"We are glad that year after year this tournament is extending its reach to a wider audience and becoming the most sought after event for players and fans alike," he added. (IANS)