KASSEL, July 11, 2017

A lot has happened since the inaugural edition of the Wihelmshöhe Open back in 1998. Andrés Schneiter from Argentina was the first champion and upcoming Grand Slam and Olympic champions competed at the venue, located inside the UNESCO World Heritage Bergpark in Kassel.

At that time Stan Wawrinka, Fernando Verdasco and Mischa Zverev needed to battle through the qualifying. Dustin Brown entered the main draw with a wild card. Players like Jiri Vesely, Andrey Kuznetsov, Maximilian Marterer or Peter Gojowczyk have also made their way to the top very quickly. This year, Germany’s biggest ITF Pro Circuit event will celebrate its 20th anniversary.

The entry list of the $25,000 Futures event will be led by World No. 235 Jeremy Jahn from Germany. The 27-year-old captured 10 ITF Pro Circuit career titles and wants to lift his first trophy of the season. Jahn will be joined by his compatriots Mats Moraing, Sebastian Fanselow and Jan Choinski. German teenagers and promising talents Jan Weßels and Marvin Moeller will receive a wild card into the main draw.

Enrique López-Pérez is the second player ranked inside the Top 300. The World No. 250 from Spain is struggling with his form lately and is eager to climb up the rankings again. In February this year, López-Pérez reached a new personal career high World No. 162.

Spanish veteran Daniel Munoz de la Nava will also come to Kassel. The 35-year-old clinched four ATP Challenger titles and five ITF Pro Circuit trophies throughout his career. Munoz de la Nava’s ranking position peaked in 2016 when he was the World No. 68.

“I’m sure we’ll have great tennis again,” tournament director Eberhard Engelmann is looking forward to the event. “The quality of the tournament has developed enormously in these 20 years.”

The Wilhelmshöhe Open are taking place at Kasseler Tennis-Club from 16 to 23 July 2017.