HOUSTON, February 13, 2020 (Press Release)
A trio of American players are the latest confirmed entrants for the 2020 Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston. Australian Open quarterfinalist Tennys Sandgren will be joined by a pair of 22-year-olds: Taylor Fritz and Reilly Opelka.
These are the latest commitments to a field that includes three other Americans – two-time champion Steve Johnson, 2013 winner John Isner and Frances Tiafoe – along with defending champion Cristian Garin, 2019 finalist Casper Ruud and international stars Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria and Spain’s Feliciano Lopez.
These players are the early commitments to the 28-player field that will take part in the ATP Tour 250 tournament April 4-12 at River Oaks Country Club.
“Adding commitments from this group of Americans certainly raises the anticipation for this year’s U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship,” said Tournament Director Bronwyn Greer. “In just two months we’ll be celebrating our latest champions, and with the entries we have, it should be a very competitive week to see who will ultimately come away with the trophy.”
In January, Sandgren reached his second Australian Open quarterfinal in three years. He held seven match points against Roger Federer this year with a semifinal berth on the line, but the 20-time Major champion prevailed. A former University of Tennessee standout, Sandgren reached his first ATP final at River Oaks in 2018. He then claimed his first career title at Auckland to open his 2019 campaign.
Fritz burst onto the scene in 2016 as ATP Newcomer of the Year after reaching the final in Memphis as an 18-year-old in just his third ATP tournament. He compiled his best career season in 2019, claiming his first title at Eastbourne while also reaching finals at Atlanta and Los Cabos. The 2015 US Open junior champion, Fritz was a semifinalist at River Oaks in 2018.
Opelka also claimed his first career title in 2019, winning on Long Island last February. Last season he was also a semifinalist in Atlanta, Basel and Tokyo. Opelka made his ATP main draw debut at River Oaks in 2016 as a lucky loser. As a junior, Opelka won the 2015 Wimbledon singles title. He will be playing US Clay for the fourth time.
The complete initial entry list for the 28-player singles field will be released in late February. Four players will join the field through a two-round qualifying tournament, with those entries being announced in late March.
The 16-team doubles field will be headlined by six-time champions Bob and Mike Bryan who will return to River Oaks as part of their final ATP season. They will be joined in the doubles field by Lopez and compatriot Marc Lopez (no relation).
The initial entry list of doubles teams will be released in mid-March.
All tickets for the 2020 event are on sale now. To purchase or for more information, visit mensclaycourt.com/tickets.
