LONDON, June 11, 2016
The main singles draw for the Aegon Championships has been made, and sees Andy Murray begin his quest for a record fifth title at The Queen’s Club against Nicolas Mahut of France.
The pair have met twice before in the first round of the Aegon Championships, with Mahut winning in 2012 and Murray triumphing in 2013, the year the Brit won back-to-back titles at The Queen’s Club and Wimbledon.
In the second quarter of the draw, the 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic, who won at The Queen’s Club four years ago, faces Feliciano López of Spain in an eye-catching first round match.
Speaking at the draw ceremony, Cilic said: “It’s always been an honour and a pleasure to be part of this tournament. To win in 2012 and lift the trophy was a great memory for me. I always enjoy coming here, it has a great atmosphere and the stands are full. The grass courts are some of the best in the world.”
On his first round match, Cilic said: “I am expecting a tough match. Feliciano has a lot of confidence after winning the doubles at Roland Garros and he likes grass. But I’m inspired by big tournaments. If I have played well somewhere in the past, I know I can play well there again.”
Elsewhere, the bottom half sees a number of exciting first round clashes. Second seed Stan Wawrinka faces Fernando Verdasco, big-serving John Isner meets the returning Juan Martin del Potro and Milos Raonic, with John McEnroe part of his grass court coaching team, will play ATP World Tour #NextGen star Nick Kyrgios.
Much of the British interest will be centred on the top quarter of the draw as Murray is joined by three of his compatriots in that section. Aljaz Bedene plays Benoit Paire in the opening round, while wild cards Kyle Edmund and Dan Evans begin against Gilles Simon and Paul-Henri Mathieu respectively. James Ward faces Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller in his first match.
SINGLES STARS AND LAST FOUR DOUBLES GRAND SLAM CHAMPIONS SET TO CLASH
In the doubles draw, many of the leading singles players will take on some of the best doubles teams in the world.
In the first round, the Australian Open champions Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares are up against singles second seed Stan Wawrinka and Benoit Paire.
Murray and Soares are joined by the other three most recent Grand Slam title-winning teams – Rojer/Tecau (Wimbledon), Hugues Herbert/Mahut (US Open), Lopez/Lopez (Roland Garros).
ROY EMERSON RETURNS
With Andy Murray bidding for a record fifth Aegon Championships title this year, The Queen’s Club is celebrating its eight four-time champions. It was announced at the draw ceremony that one of them, 12-time Grand Slam title winner Roy Emerson, will be a special guest of the tournament later in the week.
To launch the 2016 Aegon Championships, the organizers have gone into the tournament’s archives to produce a special two-minute video of some of its great moments.
