Farmers Classic – Fish to Face Gulbis for Title Sunday

Written by: Staff on 31st July 2011

Farmers Classic - Fish to Face Gulbis for Title Sunday |

RESULTS – SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2011

Singles – Semifinals

[1] Mardy Fish (USA) d Ryan Harrison (USA) 60 46 76(3)

Ernests Gulbis (LAT) d Alex Bogomolov Jr. (USA) 62 76(4)

Doubles – Semifinals

[3] Mark Knowles (BAH) / Xavier Malisse (BEL) d Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE) / Frank Moser (GER) 46 64 10-7

Somdev Devvarman (IND) / Treat Conrad Huey (PHI) d [4] Jonathan Erlich (ISR) / Andy Ram (ISR) 76(6) 67(8) 10-4

ORDER OF PLAY – SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2011

STRAUS STADIUM start Noon

[3] Mark Knowles (BAH) / Xavier Malisse (BEL) vs Somdev Devvarman (IND) / Trent Conrad Huey (PHI) tape delayed on Tennis Channel at 7:00 p.m.

Not Before 2:00 PM

[1] Mardy Fish (USA) vs Ernests Gulbis (LAT) live on ESPN2

2011 Farmers Classic Draws

Singles Draw

Doubles Draw

Qualifying Draw

2011 Tournament Honoree: On Saturday evening, Peter Fleming, the Farmers Classic 1979 singles and 1983 doubles champion, took part in the Tournament Honoree ceremony. Fleming won 66 career doubles titles, including four championships at Wimbledon and three at the US Open.

Final Match Up: This will be the first meeting between Mardy Fish and Ernests Gulbis.

Fish a Force: Top seed Mardy Fish, who holds the lead in the Olympus US Open Series Bonus Challenge, has extended his Series winning streak to seven straight matches. Fish, the winner last week in Atlanta, has reached consecutive ATP World Tour finals for the second time in his career. Last summer he won consecutive titles in Newport and Atlanta.

Title Track: Mardy Fish is gunning for his second straight title after having won last week in Atlanta. The top-ranked American is looking for his seventh career title while contesting his 19th career final.

Gulbis Gets It Going: Ernests Gulbis is through to his second career ATP World Tour final. The only other time Gulbis played in a title match was February 2010 in Delray Beach, where he claimed his first career title. His run this week is a noteworthy achievement considering he entered Farmers Classic carrying a five-match losing streak.

Seeding Story: Mardy Fish is looking to be the first top seed to claim the LA title since Andre Agassi in 2005, while Ernests Gulbis would be the first unseeded champion since Radek Stepanek in 2007.

Nationality News: Mardy Fish would be the 33rd different American to have won the Farmers Classic title in its 85-year history. An American has won 58 of the first 84 titles in LA. Ernests Gulbis is the first Latvian to reach the final, and would be the first European to win here since Radek Stepanek in 2007. A win by Gulbis would mark just the 14th time a European has won in LA.

Hall of Fame Honors: On Sunday, the International Tennis Hall of Fame will present rings to four Southern California inductees. Between matches, Tracy Austin, Brad Parks and Pam Shriver will receive rings in honor of their induction into the Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I.

Television Coverage: ESPN2 and Tennis Channel will combine to show 15 hours of live coverage of the 2011 Farmers Classic, presented by Mercedes-Benz, as part of the Olympus US Open Series. The singles final on Sunday will be carried live on ESPN2, while the doubles final will be shown on Tennis Channel on tape delay

Tickets: Tickets for 85th annual Farmers Classic presented by Mercedes-Benz are on sale now through Ticketmaster. More information can be found at www.FarmersClassic.com/Tickets or by calling (310) 824 -1010 ext. 251.