Dish-Houston

The US Men's Clay Court Championship will once again be much more than just a tennis tournament at River Oaks Country Club as a number of ancillary events will complement the event next week. 

Main draw play will begin on Monday, April 4, for the tournament, but action will begin around the Club on Friday and the first players hitting the courts on Saturday in an attempt to qualify into the main draw.

Here's a look at the schedule for the week:
Friday, April 1
Draw Day - The singles main draw and qualifying draws will be made. The main draw will be made Friday afternoon in a special Twitter event. Follow the tournament on Twitter (www.twitter.com/mensclaycourt) for more information later this week. The qualifying draw will be made late Friday evening, and the draw along with Saturday's Order of Play will be posted on www.mensclaycourt.com by 11 p.m. Friday.

Saturday-Sunday, April 2-3
Qualifying tournament for FREE! - Four main draw spots are on the line in the qualifying tournament. In 2010, one of the best matches of the tournament took place in qualifying, as Fritz Wolmarans of South Africa fought off eight match points in a 6-7(9), 7-6(12), 6-3 win over Haydn Lewis of Barbados in 3:31. The 2010 top seed in qualifying, Kevin Anderson, is a seed in the 2011 main draw. In 2007, Mariano Zabaleta qualified into the main draw and advanced to the final, losing to Ivo Karlovic in the title match.

Monday-Friday, April 4-8
Main Draw play - The tournament takes center stage during the week with day sessions beginning at noon and night sessions at 6 p.m.

Monday, April 4
Junior Night - Youth tennis will be celebrated as the USTA's 10-and-Under Tennis takes center stage. Through smaller courts and lighter equipment, tennis is becoming more accessible to younger players. Try out QuickStart tennis during special activities geared to younger players prior to Monday's night session.

Tuesday, April 5
HLTA Ladies Day - The Houston Ladies Tennis Association will host a special clinic and Q&A with Wayne Bryan at 10:30 a.m. The special ticket price includes both the clinic and a ticket to the day session.

Wednesday-Thursday, April 6-7
Tootsies Fashion Show SOLD OUT - A fabulous brunch is served while fashions and accessories from Tootsies are showcased on the runways over the pool at River Oaks Country Club. This popular event once again sold out in just minutes for 2011.

Friday, April 8
USTA Member Appreciation Day and Wheelchair Tennis demonstration - USTA members will receive a gift with proof of their membership from USTA Texas. In addition, a wheelchair tennis demonstration will take place on stadium court at 10:30 a.m.

Saturday, April 9
Singles Semifinals and Doubles Final - The singles semifinals will be played back-to-back beginning at 1 p.m., and the doubles final will be held at 6 p.m. Tennis Channel will cover all three matches live.

Sunday, April 10
Singles Final - The singles final will be held at 2 p.m. and broadcast live on Tennis Channel.

All Week
Texas Childrens Ticket Turnback - Patrons with tickets they will not able to use may return them to the River Oaks box office. Those tickets will then be on sale at the box office for face value with the entire purchase price being donated to the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Childrens.

Tickets for select individual sessions at the 2011 US Men’s Clay Court Championship remain available. The Champ Pass and season ticket packages have sold out for the 2011 event.  Information on tickets can be found at www.mensclaycourt.com or by calling 713-874-6294.