DELRAY BEACH, January 17, 2024 (Press Release)
A strong field featuring three of the world’s Top 20 players will compete in the 32nd Delray Beach Open ATP Tour event, Feb. 9-18 at the Delray Beach Stadium & Tennis Center. The tournament is the first North American hard court event of the outdoor season, and one of just 10 ATP Tour events in the United States.
Defending champion, top-ranked American and world No. 12 Taylor Fritz leads the player entry list followed closely by world No. 14 and second-ranked American Tommy Paul along with No. 19 Adrian Mannarino of France. Mannarino cracked the Top 20 this year for the first time at age 35 after winning three titles last season. This year will mark his 11th appearance at the tournament, which ranks fifth on the all-time list.
In addition, former finalists Miomir Kecmanovic (2023), Yoshihito Nishioka (2020) and Daniel Evans (2019) will look to go one step further at this year’s event. Evans returns for the first time since reaching the final as a qualifier and falling in a third-set tiebreak to Radu Albot.
Fritz was the first Top 10 player to hoist the Delray Beach Open trophy last year when he was ranked No. 7. Following his win he moved up to a career-high ranking of world No. 5. Paul, a Palm Beach County resident, will play for the fifth straight year. He reached the semifinals in 2022.
The season’s first Grand Slam, the Australian Open, is in action right now with Fritz, Paul, Mannarino and Kecmanovic still in the tournament along with others on the DBO entry list: In the first round, Jordan Thompson and Juncheng Shang defeated fellow Delray players Aleksandar Vukic and Mackenzie McDonald, respectively, in five sets. Matteo Arnaldi, Nuno Borges and Max Purcell have also advanced to the second round. Last year, Paul reached his first Grand Slam semifinal Down Under.
Here is the 2024 Delray Beach Open singles field by the numbers so far:
- One former Delray Beach Open champion (Taylor Fritz, 2023)
- Three former Delray Beach Open finalists (Miomir Kecmanovic, 2023; Yoshihito Nishioka, 2020; Daniel Evans, 2019)
- Five players making their Delray Beach Open main draw debut (Matteo Arnaldi, Rinky Hijikata, Dominik Koepfer, Max Purcell, Juncheng Shang)
- Three players who won ATP Tour titles in 2023 (Adrian Mannarino – Newport, Astana, Sofia; Fritz – Delray Beach, Atlanta; Evans – Washington)
- Five Americans (Fritz, Tommy Paul, Mackenzie McDonald, JJ Wolf, Marcus Giron)
- Two Americans ranked in the Top 15 (Fritz, Paul)
- 10 countries represented (USA, Australia, Japan, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Portugal, Serbia)
- Seven former college players (Nuno Borges-Mississippi State, Giron-UCLA, Hijikata-UNC, Koepfer-Tulane, McDonald-UCLA, Aleksandar Vukic-Illinois, Wolf-Ohio State)
- Two NCAA singles champions (McDonald – 2016, UCLA; Giron – 2014, UCLA)
- Six players age 25 and under (Youngest – Shang, 18, turns 19 on Feb. 2)
- Four players age 30 and over (Oldest – Mannarino, 35)
- One Palm Beach County resident (Paul)
A look at the players on the initial entry list for the 2024 Delray Beach Open (with current ranking):
(12) Taylor Fritz, 26, USA – 2023: reached career high No. 5, won DBO and Atlanta, reached US Open QF
(14) Tommy Paul, 26, USA – 2023: Reached first GS SF at Australian Open, two finals, career-high ranking of No. 12
(19) Adrian Mannarino, 35, France –2024: cracked world’s Top 20 for first time at age 35; 2023: won three titles
(38) Daniel Evans, 33, Great Britain – 2019 DBO finalist as a qualifier, lost in 3rd set tiebreak; 2023: Won Washington with win over No. 10 Tiafoe en route; reached career-high rank of No. 21
(41) Matteo Arnaldi, 22, Italy – 2023: Nominated for ATP Most Improved Player, helped Italy win first Davis Cup in 47 years, reached US Open 4r
(42) Mackenzie McDonald, 28, USA – 2023: career-high rank of 37; 2019: DBO SF w/win over No. 4 del Potro; 2016 NCAA title at UCLA
(45) Max Purcell, 25, Australia – 2023: Def. No. 7 Ruud enroute to Cincinnati Masters 1000 QF, career-high rank of No. 40; 2022: Won Wimbledon doubles title with Ebden
(47) Jordan Thompson, 29, Australia – 2024: Saved 3 MPs to def. Nadal enroute to 1st ATP Tour hard court SF at Brisbane; 2023: Def. No. 3 Tsitsipas at Indian Wells; 2020: US Open 4r; 2017: def. No. 1 Murray
(57) JJ Wolf, 25, USA – 2023: Def. No. 16, former DBO winner Norrie enroute to first Masters 1000 4r in Shanghai
(58) Taro Daniel, 30 (31 on Jan. 27), Japan – 2024: upset No. 16 Shelton in Auckland to reach second career final and career-high ranking of 58
(60) Miromir Kecmanovic, 24, Serbia – 2023: DBO finalist; 2022: QF at ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells, Miami, 4r Wimbledon
(61) Yoshihito Nishioka, 28, Japan – 2020: DBO finalist; 2023: 4r at Australian and French Open, career-high No. 24
(62) Dominik Koepfer, 29, Germany – 2023: Won two Challenger titles; 2020: Def. No. 9 Monfils, reached Rome QF
(64) Aleksandar Vukic, 27, Australia – 2023: Lucky Loser into DBO main draw and reached 2r, finalist at Atlanta
(66) Marcos Giron, 30, USA – 2023: Def. No. 8 Ruud, No. 17 Auger-Aliassime enroute to Tokyo SF; 2022: 1st final age 29 in San Diego, cracked Top 50; 2014 NCAA singles champ at UCLA
(69) Nuno Borges, 26, Portugal – 2023: Qualified for DBO and reached 2nd round, won 3 Challenger titles; 2022: Def. Shelton for first GS match win at US Open; 2019 – Reached NCAA singles final for Mississippi State
(71) Rinky Hijikata, 22, Australia – 2023: US Open 4r, won Australian Open doubles title
(140) Juncheng Shang, 18 (19 on Feb. 2), China – 2024: def. No. 16 Tiafoe to reach first ATP Tour SF at Hong Kong; Next Gen entry into DBO
Ten additional players will join the field to round out the 28-player draw, including four qualifiers, three wild cards and three special entry players.
Opening weekend of the Delray Beach Open starts with the ATP Champions Tour Legends event Feb. 9-11 that features six-time DBO champions Bob and Mike Bryan, the most successful doubles team in the history of the sport, former world No. 2 Tommy Haas, former Delray Beach champions Ivo Karlovic and Sam Querrey, local pros Jesse Levine and Scoville Jenkins, and past French Open champions Luke and Murphy Jensen. It also features the Women’s Tennis Challenge at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, an exhibition between former Wimbledon finalist and world No. 5 Eugenie Bouchard and 17-year-old current junior Wimbledon champion Clervie Ngounoue.
Single session and series tickets are on sale now at DelrayBeachOpen.com. While Veranda series tickets have already SOLD OUT, a variety of other series packages are still available including on-court “Best Seats in the House” (limited quantity), courtside box seats and reserved seats. Weeklong series packages start at $750 and include parking and exclusive amenities, making them one of the best deals around. Tickets can be shared with clients and family throughout the week.
