JAPAN’S TENNIS STAR KEI NISHIKORI TO HEADLINE PLAYER FIELD AT ORACLE CHALLENGER SERIES TOURNEY IN NEWPORT BEACH, CA • FREE ADMISSION

Written by: Staff on 3rd January 2018

Citi Open tennis tournament in Washington, DC

JAPAN’S TENNIS STAR KEI NISHIKORI TO HEADLINE PLAYER FIELD AT ORACLE CHALLENGER SERIES TOURNEY IN NEWPORT BEACH, CA • FREE ADMISSION

epa06125530 Kei Nishikori of Japan in action against Tommy Paul of the USA during their match at the Citi Open tennis tournament at the Fitzgerald Tennis Center in Washington, DC, USA, 04 August 2017. EPA/PETE MAROVICH |

Kei Nishikori of Japan in action against Tommy Paul of the USA during their match at the Citi Open tennis tournament at the Fitzgerald Tennis Center in Washington, DC, USA, 04 August 2017. EPA/PETE MAROVICH

Tournament to be Played January 20-28, 2018 at Newport Beach Tennis Club

Kei Nishikori, who has been ranked as high as No. 4 on the ATP World Tour, has accepted a wild card to play in the inaugural tournament of the Oracle Challenger Series, scheduled for January 20-28, 2018 at the Newport Beach Tennis Club.

The 28-year-old Nishikori, a US Open singles finalist in 2014, will compete in the ATP Challenger, which is part of a combined tournament with a WTA 125K Series event.

“I am very excited and looking forward to getting back on the court in January,” Nishikori said. “The Oracle Challenger Series is a perfect event in a great Southern California location to help me get some match play. This will be a great opportunity to face some high-level competition.”

The Oracle Challenger Series will mark the first tournament appearance for Nishikori since last August when he suffered a season-ending right wrist injury. The Japanese star finished 2017 with a 30-13 singles record. He is currently ranked No. 22 in the ATP World Tour singles rankings.

The second event of the Oracle Challenger Series will take place February 24-March 4, 2018 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif. The top two male and female Americans with the highest accumulated points in the Oracle Challenger Series will be awarded wild cards in their respective singles main draws at the 2018 BNP Paribas Open, held March 5-18 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Admission for spectators is free for each day of the Newport Beach and Indian Wells events. For additional information, go to: oraclechallengerseries.com.

About the Oracle Challenger Series

The Oracle Challenger Series was created to offer American tennis players more opportunities and builds on Oracle’s commitment to help support U.S. tennis for men and women at both the collegiate and professional level. The Series will feature equal prize money in a groundbreaking tournament format that combines the ATP Challenger Tour and WTA 125K Series.

Beyond expanding the number of chances to compete, the Series offers an unmatched potential prize of wild cards for top American finishers into the main draw of the BNP Paribas Open, which is widely considered the top combined ATP World Tour and WTA professional tennis tournament in the world.

About the Newport Beach Tennis Club

Established in 1966, the Newport Beach Tennis Club is one of the most prestigious tennis clubs in the country. With 19 fully lit tennis courts, full service restaurant, bar and catering, junior olympic pool, fitness center and gorgeous grounds, the Newport Beach Tennis Club has it all. Expanding over seven acres, the Newport Beach Tennis Club boasts a beautiful layout for the Oracle Challenger Series, featuring a sunken center court, six other match courts, and four practice courts.

Topics: 10sballs, Atp, Japan tennis, Kei Nishikori, Newport Beach Tennis Club, Oracle Challenger Series, Tennis