Dish-Houston

RESULTS - TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2014

Singles First Round
[5] Feliciano Lopez (Spain) d [Q] Robby Ginepri (USA) 75 62
[7] Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) d [Q] Peter Polansky (Canada) 64 36 64
Michael Russell (USA) d Daniel Gimeno-Traver (Spain) 63 76(2)
Benjamin Becker (Germany) d [Q] Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (Spain) 61 16 63
Donald Young (USA) d [Q] Ryan Harrison (USA) 60 61
[WC] Steve Johnson (USA) d Denis Kudla (USA) 63 76(4)

Singles First Round
[1] Bob Bryan (USA) / Mike Bryan (USA) d Nicholas Monroe (USA) / Donald Young (USA) 63 64
Matthew Ebden (Australia) / Sam Groth (Australia) d Ken Skupski (Great Britain) / Neal Skupski (Great Britain) 64 76(2)

ORDER OF PLAY - WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2014

CENTER COURT start 12:00 noon
[6] Juan Monaco (Argentina) vs Somdev Devvarman (India)
Sam Querrey (USA) vs [7] Lleyton Hewitt (Australia)
Jonathan Erlich (Israel) / Michal Mertinak (Slovak Republic) vs [2] David Marrero (Spain) / Fernando Verdasco (Spain)
Not Before 6:00 pm
[1] Bob Bryan (USA) / Mike Bryan (USA) vs Matthew Ebden (Australia) / Samuel Groth (Australia)
[1] John Isner (USA) vs Dustin Brown (Germany)

COURT 3 start 12:00 noon
Santiago Giraldo (Colombia) vs Matthew Ebden (Australia)
[3] Santiago Gonzalez (Mexico) / Scott Lipsky (USA) vs Purav Raja (India) / Divij Sharan (India)
[Alt] Thiemo de Bakker (Netherlands) / Melle Van Gemerden (Netherlands) vs Austin Krajicek (USA) / Michael Venus (New Zealand)
After Suitable Rest - Benjamin Becker (Germany) / Rameez Junaid (Australia) vs [WC] Steve Johnson (USA) / Sam Querrey (USA)
Not Before 6:00 pm
Chris Guccione (Australia) / L Hewitt (Australia) vs Marin Draganja (Croatia) / Gero Kretschmer (GER)

COURT 7 start 3:00 pm
Santiago Giraldo (Colombia) / Alejandro Gonzalez (Colombia) vs [4] Mate Pavic (CRO) / John-Patrick Smith (AUS)

Former champions Lleyton Hewitt (2009) and Tommy Haas (2004) as well as former finalist James Blake (2008) are among the players added to the field for the 2013 US Men's Clay Court Championship as the preliminary entry list was released this week. Twenty-three players, including six ranked within the Top 25 on the ATP World Tour, have committed to the 28-player field for the tournament at River Oaks Country Club April 8-14.

Hewitt, a two-time Grand Slam champion from Australia, and Germany's Haas headline a list of international stars in the event that includes defending champion Juan Monaco from Argentina, France's Gael Monfilsand Spaniard's Nicolas Almagro and Fernando Verdasco.

Blake, a former Top 5 player, is among a group of seven Americans that includes 2012 River Oaks runner-up John Isner, 2010 finalist Sam Querrey, Ryan Harrison, Tim Smyczek, Houston resident Michael Russell and wild card recipient Jack Sock.

"Getting the entry list always gives everyone around River Oaks a little energy boost because it means the tournament is now less than six weeks away," said Tournament Director Van Barry. "With the players that has signed up for the 2013 tournament, I anticipate a lot of excitement for this tournament. It's such a deep field, I think every day of the week will have plenty of stars and quality matches."

Here are the first 22 entries for the 213 US Men's Clay Court Championship, with their nationality and ranking as of Monday, Feb. 25:
Nicolas Almagro (Spain) 12
Martin Alund (Argentina) 91
Ricardas Berankis (Lithuania) 87
Carlos Berlocq (Argentina) 75
James Blake (USA) 99
Flavio Cipolla (Italy) 100
Somdev Devvarman (India) 85*
Tommy Haas (Germany) 19
Ryan Harrison (USA) 76
Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) 98
John Isner (USA) 15
Jesse Levine (Canada) 95
Paolo Lorenzi (Italy) 57
Leonardo Mayer (Argentina) 77
Juan Monaco (Argentina) 14
Guido Pella (Argentina) 88
Sam Querrey (USA) 23
Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (Spain) 96
Michael Russell (USA) 72
Tim Smyczek (USA) 101
Jack Sock (USA) 130
Fernando Verdasco (Spain) 24
*Protected Ranking

One more player will join the field as wild cards while four more players will advance into the main draw through the qualifying tournament that will be held begin April 6 at River Oaks.

In addition to these singles players, four-time doubles champion the Bryan Brothers will return to River Oaks. The twin brothers Bob and Mike are the World No. 1 doubles team. They own the record for Grand Slam titles with 13 together as well as total career titles together with 85. 

Individual session tickets and the very popular “Champ Pass” are on sale on now. The Champ Pass for the 2013 US Men’s Clay Court Championship includes a ticket to the Friday, Saturday and Sunday sessions. "The Champ Pass" usually sells out before the tournament begins. A limited number of season ticket packages are still remaining. Information on tickets can be found at www.mensclaycourt.com or by calling 713-874-6294.
 
US Men’s Clay Court Championship at River Oaks Country Club
The 104th competition for the US Men’s Clay Court Championship will be held April 8-14, 2013, at River Oaks Country Club in Houston. Started by the USTA in 1910, the Clay Court Championship has been held at numerous venues around the country. The tournament has been held in Houston since 2001, and will be held at River Oaks Country Club for the fourth straight year. Prior to hosting the US Men’s Clay Court Championship, River Oaks Country Club hosted its own event, The River Oaks International. Started in 1931, the River Oaks International roster of former champions includes Jack Kramer, Tony Trabert, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Ken Rosewall, Ivan Lendl, Guillermo Vilas and James Blake. The 2013 US Men’s Clay Court Championship will be the 79^th tournament at River Oaks, with the club hosting a tournament every year since 1946 after a four-year lapse due to the war. More information is available at www.mensclaycourt.com or on Twitter at @mensclaycourt. 

Four former winners of the US Men’s Clay Court Championship headline the initial acceptance list for the 2012 tournament that will be played April 9-15 at River Oaks Country Club.
 
Defending champion Ryan Sweeting will be joined in the field by former champions Marcel Granollers (2008), Ivo Karlovic (2007) and World No. 8 Mardy Fish (2006). They are joined in the field by James Blake, who was a two-time winner of the River Oaks International (2003, ’05).
 
Blake is also one of three US Men’s Clay Court Championship finalists in the field. The 2008 runner-up is joined by countrymen Sam Querrey (2010) and Wayne Odesnik (2009) in returning to River Oaks.
 
Those Americans are part of a contingent of eight US players in the field. Joining Sweeting, Fish, Blake, Querrey and Odesnik will be John Isner, who reached a career high ranking of No. 11 this week, Ryan Harrison and Bobby Reynolds.
 
“It is a great sign for the tournament to have so many players coming back to a place where they have previously had success,” said tournament director Van Barry. “This field represents a great mix of Americans as well as international stars, some very accomplished clay court players, veteran talent and rising stars. We really feel there is something for every fan with this roster of players.”
 
Here’s a look at the initial field and their ranking as of February 27, 2012:
44 Carlos Berlocq (ARG)                     
63 James Blake (USA)                       
35 Alex Bogomolov, Jr. (RUS)           
8 Mardy Fish (USA)                       
101 Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ESP)          
28 Marcel Granollers (ESP)           
65 Ryan Harrison (USA)                       
11 John Isner (USA)                       
105 Tatsuma Ito (JPN)                       
41 Ivo Karlovic (CRO)                       
77 Igor Kunitsyn (RUS)                       
102 Paolo Lorenzi (ITA)                       
66 Xavier Malisse (BEL)                      
108 Wayne Odesnik (USA)           
109 Bjorn Phau (GER)
103 Eric Prodon (FRA)
87 Sam Querrey (USA)
113 Bobby Reynolds (USA)
100 Joao Souza (BRA)
82 Ryan Sweeting (USA)
98 Adrian Ungur (ROU)

Four other players will join the field through the qualifying tournament that begins April 7. Three players will also be awarded wild cards into the field.
 
The doubles field will be announce just before the tournament, but four-time winners of the US Men’s Clay Court Championship Bob and Mike Bryan have committed to return and defend their title once again.

It’s not too late to purchase individual session tickets and the very popular “Champ Pass” for the 2012 US Men’s Clay Court Championship! The Champ Pass includes a ticket to the Friday, Saturday and Sunday sessions, which are usually sold out before the tournament begins. Information on tickets can be found at www.mensclaycourt.com or by calling 713-874-6294

How cool is this?? THe The 2011 main draw will be made a 3 p.m. TODAY LIVE ON TWITTER!! 

It will be featuring 2011 US Men's Clay Court Championship participant Somdev Devvarman of India. Devvarman is a two-time NCAA Champion from the University of Virginia and also a Commonwealth Games gold medalist. He is ranked a career high this week, having reached the final earlier this year in Johannesburg and the fourth round at Indian Wells.

As the draw is made, the match ups will instantly be tweeted by the tournament at HERE , then Devvarman will offer his opinion on the match on his personal Twitter. To make following easier, the conversation will be aggregated using the hashtag #ATPHouston. 

If you don't have your tickets yet, some are still available. 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 HERE or by calling 713-874-6294.

One of DISH'S favorite programs in sports in Houston is what we are calling the ACE program!

Patrons with tickets they will not able to use may donate them back to the River Oaks box office. Those tickets will then be on sale at the box office for face value with 100% of the proceeds donated to the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Childrens.

US Men’s Clay Court Championship at River Oaks Country Club
The 102nd competition for the US Men’s Clay Court Championship will be held April 4-10, 2011, at River Oaks Country Club in Houston. Started by the USTA in 1910, it has been held at numerous venues around the country. The tournament has been held in Houston since 2001, and will be held at River Oaks Country Club for the third straight year. Prior to hosting the US Men’s Clay Court Championship, River Oaks Country Club hosted its own event, The River Oaks International. Started in 1931, the River Oaks International roster of former champions includes Jack Kramer, Tony Trabert, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Ken Rosewall, Ivan Lendl, Guillermo Vilas and James Blake. The 2011 US Men’s Clay Court Championship will be the 77^th tournament at River Oaks, with the club hosting a tournament every year since 1946 after a four-year lapse due to the war. More information is available at HERE or on Twitter

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.