BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The USTA announced Jason Kubler of Austrailia as the No. 2 singles seed at the 2012 Players’ Choice Open. Kubler returns as reigning champion after his 2011 defeat of Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka. Nishioka will test his skills again this year with a spot in the qualifier beginning Oct. 19. The Players’ Choice Open is a USTA Pro Circuit event and will take place Oct. 23-29 at Highland Park Tennis Center.
Kubler, 19, is currently ranked No. 289 in the world. As a junior, he reached the No. 1 combined world ranking in 2010 and was a semi-finalist at the 2011 Junior Wimbledon Championships.
The complete list of seeds includes:
1. Philip Bester, Canada
2. Jason Kubler, Austrailia
3. Taro Daniel, Japan
4. Zhe Li, China
5. Daniel Garza, Mexico
6. Michal Schmid, Czech Republic
7. Peter Heller, Germany
8. Alexandre Folie, Belgium
No. 1 seed, Canadian Philip Bester, was the 2010 Players’ Choice Open champion. Other main draw players include Americans Chase Buchanan of Columbus, Ohio, and 2011 Junior French Open champion Bjorn Fratangelo of Pittsburgh, Pa.
The Players’ Choice Open is free for public viewing.