HOUSTON, February 17, 2022 (Press Release)
Two more Americans – Mackenzie McDonald and Tommy Paul – have been added to the field of the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship, an ATP 250 tournament that will take place April 2-10 at River Oaks Country Club. McDonald, a former NCAA champion, and Paul, a former junior Grand Slam tournament winner, join a half dozen other Americans in committing to play the only North American clay court tournament. Jenson Brooksby, Taylor Fritz, John Isner, Reilly Opelka, Sam Querrey and Frances Tiafoe have already been announced as tournament participants. Alongside these Americans will be the players who faced off in the last title match at River Oaks: defending champion Cristian Garin of Chile and Norway’s Casper Ruud, who ranked No. 8 on the ATP Tour. “It’s less than 50 days until the ATP Tour returns to River Oaks, and to see the player field shaping up like this makes us eager to get the tournament started,” Tournament Director Bronwyn Greer said. “Mackenzie and Tommy add depth to an already strong player field, and we look forward to welcoming them both back to Houston.” McDonald was named the ATP Tour’s Comeback Player of the Year in 2021. After reaching his first ATP semifinal at Delray Beach in 2019, he was sidelined following a hamstring surgery. He roared back in 2021, reaching the Australian Open round of 16 before reaching his first career ATP Tour final at Washington, D.C. A four-time All-American at UCLA, the Piedmont, California, native won both the singles and doubles NCAA titles in 2016. Paul closed his 2021 campaign by winning his first career ATP Tour title, capturing the trophy at the indoor hard court tournament in Stockholm. After posting a career high for match wins in 2021, he has reached the highest ranking of his career already in the 2022 season. As a junior, Paul reached No. 3 in the rankings in 2015 after winning the French Open title and finishing as runner-up at the US Open. Born in New Jersey, he grew up playing on clay courts in North Carolina. The full singles entry list for the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship will be released the week of March 7.Limited daily tickets remain available. To purchase or for more information, visit mensclaycourt.com/tickets.
