DEFENDING CHAMPION ISNER PLACED TOP SEED IN RIVER OAKS DRAW
FREE Qualifying Action Starts at 9 a.m. Saturday
Defending champion John Isner is the top seed for next week’s Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship at River Oaks Country Club April 7-13.
The full draw for the 2014 tournament, which includes four former champions (Isner, Lleyton Hewitt, Juan Monaco and Ivo Karlovic) and two past finalists (Sam Querrey and Nicolas Almagro), was made on Friday.
Four spots will be decided during the three-round qualifying tournament, which begins on Saturday. Due to forecasted rain for late Saturday, the start of the matches has been moved up to 9 a.m. The first and second rounds of qualifying are scheduled for Saturday and admission is FREE.
Below is the Order of Play for Saturday. Notes about both the main draw and qualifying follow.
ORDER OF PLAY – SATURDAY, APRIL 05, 2014
COURT 3 start 9:00 am
Patrick Davidson (USA) vs Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (Spain)
Alex Kuznetsov (USA) vs Robby Ginepri (USA)
Ryan Harrison (USA) vs Andrew Carter (USA)
Alexander Zverev (Germany) vs Mischa Zverev (Germany)
Not Before 1:30 pm
Alex Kuznetsov (USA) or Robby Ginepri (USA) vs Purav Raja (India) or Bjorn Fratangelo (USA)
Ryan Harrison (USA) or Andrew Carter (USA) vs [WC] Bayo Philips (USA) or Louk Sorensen (Ireland)
COURT 4 start 9:00 am
Greg Ouellette (USA) vs [WC] David Warren (USA)
Purav Raja (India) vs Bjorn Fratangelo (USA)
Mitchell Krueger (USA) vs Ruben Bemelmans (Belgium)
Peter Polansky (Canada) vs Erik Crepaldi (Italy)
Not Before 1:30 pm
Fritz Wolmarans (South Africa) or Thanasi Kokkinakis (Australia) vs John-Patrick Smith (Australia) or Illya Marchenko (Ukraine)
Alexander Zverev (Germany) or Mischa Zverev (Germany) vs Bojan Szumanski (Poland) or Thiemo de Bakker (Netherlands)
COURT 5 start 9:00 am
Wayne Odesnik (USA) vs JasonKubler (Australia)
Fritz Wolmarans (South Africa) vs Thanasi Kokkinakis (Australia)
[WC] Adam Gustafsson (Sweden) vs [WC] Srikar Alla (India)
Bojan Szumanski (Poland) vs Thiemo de Bakker (Netherlands)
Not Before 1:30 pm
Greg Ouellette (USA) or [WC] David Warren (USA) vs Patrick Davidson (USA) or Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (Spain)
[WC] Adam Gustafsson (Sweden) or [WC] Srikar Alla (India) vs Mitchell Krueger (USA) or Ruben Bemelmans (Belgium)
COURT 6 start 9:00 am
Takanyi Garanganga (Zimbabwe) vs Nils Langer (Germany)
John-Patrick Smith (Australia) vs Illya Marchenko (Ukraine)
[WC] Bayo Philips (USA) vs Louk Sorensen (Ireland)
Ante Pavic (Coatia) vs Andrea Arnaboldi (Italy)
Not Before 1:30 pm
Wayne Odesnik (USA) or Jason Kubler (Australia) vs Takanyi Garanganga (Zimbabwe) or Nils Langer (Germany)
Peter Polansky (Canada) or Erik Crepaldi (Italy) vs Ante Pavic (Croatia) or Andrea Arnaboldi (Italy)
NOTES
– The qualifying field includes three former junior Grand Slam champions: Alexander Zverev (2014 Australian Open), Bjorn Frantangelo (2011 French Open) and Thiemo de Bakker (2006 Wimbledon).
– Zverev, 16, is currently the No. 1 ranked junior in the world. He drew his older brother, Mischa (26), in the opening round of qualifying.
– Four players with ties to the Rice tennis program will take part in qualifying. Junior Srikar Alla will play sophomore Adam Gustafsson in the first round. Freshman and Houston native David Warren is also in the field, as is assistant coach Bojan Szumanski.
– Two players who reached the 2013 main draw quarterfinals are playing this year’s qualifying tournament: Robby Ginepri and Ruben Ramirez-Hidalgo. The field also includes 2009 runner-up Wayne Odesnik.
– Players representing 10 countries are in the main draw. The United States leads with way with eight players, followed by Spain with five. Australia, Colombia and Germany have two each.
– Many of the main draw players will be practicing at River Oaks on Saturday, including Lleyton Hewitt, Feliciano Lopez, Marcos Baghdatis, Sam Querrey and Ivo Karlovic. The practice schedule is available online.
Limited tickets for the 2014 Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. 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.
U.S. 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. U.S. 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 U.S. 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: Clay Court, Fayez Sarofim, John Isner, Lleyton Hewitt, River Oaks, Sam Querrey, Tennis News
Houston Has A Great Draw / Qualifying Rounds Free , Schedule Here – http://t.co/dNPsARFjwP #tennis #sportsnews #draws #schedule