Marcos Baghdatis Gets A Widcard Into Houston Tennis. April 5/6 Qualies Are Free

Written by: Staff on 30th March 2014

Marcos Baghdatis Gets A Widcard Into Houston Tennis. April 5/6 Qualies Are Free

epa04070339 Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus returns the ball to Rajeev Ram of the USA during their first round match of the US National Indoor Tennis Championships at the Racquet Club of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, 11 February 2014. EPA/TANNEN MAURY |

Former Top 10 Player Receives Wild Card

HOUSTON – Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, a former Top 10 player and Australian Open finalist, has received the first wild card for the Fayez Sarofim & Co. US Men’s Clay Court Championship that will be held at River Oaks Country Club April 7-13.

Baghdatis has reached 11 career ATP finals, including the 2006 Australian Open where he fell to Roger Federer in the title match. Baghdatis is among the most successful Davis Cup players in history, and stands fifth among current players for most match wins with a 62-13 record overall and 43-3 mark in singles. His current 32-match Davis Cup singles winning streak is the second-longest in history and leads all active players. This will be his second US Men’s Clay Court Championship appearance after he reached the second round in 2006 when the event was held at Westside.

Baghdatis, who was awarded the first of three wild cards for the tournament, joins a field that includes World No. 10 and defending champion John Isner along with former champions Juan Monaco (2012), Lleyton Hewitt (2009) and Ivo Karlovic (2007). Spaniards Tommy Robredo and Nicolas Almagro, two of only four active players on the ATP with more than 200 career match wins on clay, are also entered into the River Oaks tournament.

Two of the top doubles teams on the ATP World Tour have also committed to play the 2014 tournament. Bob and Mike Bryan, the twin-brother tandem that has won four titles at the US Men’s Clay Court Championship, and the Spanish duo of Fernando Verdasco and David Marrero, champions at the 2013 ATP World Tour Finals, have both been entered into the doubles draw. In addition, one of the hottest doubles tandems on tour – Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah – will come to Houston having reached three straight finals and five on the season, including this week in Miami.

In 2014, River Oaks Country Club will celebrate hosting a tournament for the 80th time since its inauguration in 1931. The upcoming tournament will also mark the 104th staging of the US Men’s Clay Court Championship.

The tournament will begin with qualifying rounds on April 5-6 that are free to spectators. Main draw play gets underway Monday, April 7.

Limited tickets for the 2014 Fayez Sarofim & Co. US Men’s Clay Court Championship remain available for select sessions. In addition, the “Ticket Turnback” program will return. Patrons holding tickets for sessions they cannot attend can return them to the box office where they will be resold at face value, with the full purchase price being donated to Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. For more information, please visit www.mensclaycourt.com.

US Men’s Clay Court Championship at River Oaks Country Club

In 2014, the River Oaks Country Club will celebrate the 80th professional tournament to be hosted in its historic stadium when the Fayez Sarofim & Co. US Men’s Clay Court Championship is held April 7-13. River Oaks first hosted its own tournament, The River Oaks International, in 1931, and its roster of former champions includes Jack Kramer, Tony Trabert, Rod Laver, Roy Merson, Ken Rosewall, Ivan Lendl, Guillermo Vilas and James Blake. Houston is the 23rd city to host the US Men’s Clay Court Championship. The tournament came to Houston in 2001, and has been hosted at River Oaks since 2009. Started in 1910 by the USTA, the 2014 tournament is the 104th competition for the Clay Court Championship. More information is available at www.mensclaycourt.com.

Topics: Atp, Australian Open, Marcos Baghdatis, Tennis News, Wildcard

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10sBalls_com says:

March 30, 2014 at 9:32 am

Marcos Baghdatis Gets A Widcard Into Houston Tennis. April 5/6 Qualies Are Free – http://t.co/iQz4GxEuiW @marcosbaghdatis #tennis #news