Dallas Tennis Classic Announces Entry List
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Feb. 21, 2013 (Irving, Tex.) – The Dallas Tennis Classic, presented by Zodiac Watches, today announced the entry list for the tournament, which includes nine players currently ranked in the top-50 on the ATP Tour, four of whom are in the top-30. Twenty-two players make up the current list, all of whom are ranked 74-or-higher.
“We are absolutely thrilled with this year’s entry list.” said Zoltan Papp, Dallas Tennis Classic tournament director. “The last player to get into our tournament is ranked 74, which makes Dallas Tennis Classic a stronger draw than most ATP Tour events here in the USA. Having four wild cards will allow us to recruit a few more marquee players, such as Marcos Baghdatis and Gael Monfils. This year’s tournament is phenomenal and we couldn’t be more excited.”
The Dallas Tennis Classic (DTC) is an ATP Challenger event, entering its second year, and will be played once again at
the prestigious Four Seasons Resort and Club in Las Colinas. The 2013 Dallas Tennis Classic will take place from March 11-17.
Some of the more notable players on the entry list for this year’s Dallas Tennis Classic, presented by Zodiac Watches, include:
Marin Cilic (CRO) – Heads up the DTC player list, ranked No. 12 in the world. Cilic won the Zagreb Open last week in his home country of Croatia.
Tommy Haas (GER) – The former world No. 2, has been impressive in coming back from several injuries. Haas won the Halle grass court event in Germany last year by beating 16-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in the finals. He played in last year’s DTC as a Wild Card entry, however, in 2013 he will be another top-20 player in the field.
Feliciano Lopez (ESP) – This will be Lopez’s first time at the DTC. He had a career-high ranking of 15 in 2012. The Spaniard comes in as a fan favorite and looking to gain a lot of support from most female tennis enthusiasts.
Benjamin Becker (GER) – Made a name for himself in 2006 when he defeated Andre Agassi at the last match of his career at the US Open. Becker played at Baylor, winning NCAA titles in team and singles competition.
Ryan Harrison (USA) – A new American shining star, has a career-high ranking of 43. Grew up playing tennis in New Braunfels, Tex., at John Newcombe’s Academy.
Jerzy Janowicz (POL) – Currently ranked No. 26, Janowicz quickly rose up the world rankings a year ago, breaking the top-30 at the Paris Masters tournament. He came from qualification, beat Tursunov, Serra, Kohlschreiber, Cilic, Murray, Tipsarevic, and Simon before falling to Ferrer in the finals of the main draw.
Lukas Rosol (CZE) – Played at last year’s DTC. Highlight of his career came at 2012 Wimbledon when he defeated Rafael Nadal in first round. Currently ranked No. 65 in the world.
Player Entry List (As of February 18, 2013)
Player (Country) – World Ranking
Cilic, Marin (CRO) – 12
Haas, Tommy (GER) – 18
Janowicz, Jerzy (POL) – 26
Anderson, Kevin (RSA) – 30
Granollers, Marcel (ESP) – 35
Fognini, Fabio (ITA) – 44
Lopez, Feliciano (ESP) – 47
Malisse, Xavier (BEL) – 48
Goffin, David (BEL) – 49
Nieminen, Jarkko (FIN) – 54
Ramos, Albert (ESP) – 55
Falla, Alejandro (COL) – 60
Istomin, Denis (UZB) – 63
Becker, Benjamin (GER) – 64
Rosol, Lukas (CZE) – 65
Mathieu, Paul-Henri (FRA) – 66
Bolelli, Simone (ITA) – 67
Harrison, Ryan (USA) – 69
Muller, Gilles (LUX) – 70
Sijsling, Igor (NED) – 71
Soeda, Go (JPN) – 73
Lacko, Lukas (SVK) – 74
Tickets are on sale now here, beginning at only $10 for First and Second Round Qualifying Play.
The event is sanctioned by the ATP, the principal organizer of the men’s professional tennis tour. The Dallas Tennis Classic has the highest level of prize money on the ATP Challenger Tour, plus hospitality. The tournament enjoys an exception from other challenger events, in that players positioned 11-50 in the ATP rankings are allowed to enter, and those ranked top-10 in the world are allowed to receive a Wild Card to compete for a prize money purse of $125,000. The event will feature a 32-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw.
The Dallas Tennis Classic is conveniently positioned on the ATP tournament schedule between the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., and the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., both of which are mandatory events for the top-50 ranked players. This slot on the tournament schedule has consistently seen draws that include the top players as they prepare for the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne.
