American's Ginerpri, Martin Granted Other Wild Cards, Join Agassi, Srichaphan in Solid Long Island Field
COMMACK, N.Y., August 20, 2004 - Former world No. 1 and current No. 5 in the ATP Champions race, Lleyton Hewitt, accepted a wild card into the main draw as the 24th TD Waterhouse Cup presented by Roslyn Savings Bank begins play on Monday at the Hamlet Golf and Country Club in Commack, it was announced by Kari Mutscheller, tournament director.
Hewitt, the former US Open and Wimbledon champion, has enjoyed stellar results during this summer's U.S. Open Series, including a finals appearance at the Cincinnati Masters (L. Agassi) two weeks ago and a semifinal berth this week in Washington, D.C. Earlier this year, Hewitt returned to his top-ranked form of a few years ago when he held the No. 1 spot for 75 weeks, by claiming titles at Sydney and Rotterdam and quarterfinal results at Roland Garros and Wimbledon earlier this year.
"I am excited about finally having the chance to play at the TD Waterhouse Cup," said Hewitt. "I have heard great things about the event, and look forward to playing there next week."
A pair of Americans were also awarded wild cards into the main draw, up and comer Robby Ginepri and veteran Todd Martin. Ginepri registered career-best Grand Slam results this year by reaching the Round of 16 at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon. The gutsy Martin, a two-time Grand Slam finalist (Australia, '94, U.S. Open, '99), always brings his "A" game to the hard courts and will look to make another run.
Eight-time Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi served notice earlier this month that he'll be tough to beat with his win at the Cincinnati Masters (over Hewitt) and a final four berth at Washington, D.C. The native of Las Vegas returns to L.I. for the first time since winning her in 1988.
Meanwhile, two-time reigning TD Waterhouse Cup champion Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand, will look to etch his name in the record books in his attempt to become only the second player to win three consecutive titles on Long Island, joining Hall of Famer and five-time L.I. titlist Ivan Lendl (1984-86, '89, '91) was the first.
Strengthening the remainder of the draw are Olympic gold medal finalist Nicolas Massu of Chile, ATP Champions race No. 13 Juan Ignacio Chela, 2004 Wimbledon semifinalist Mario Ancic and 2002 Roland Garros winner Albert Costa, among others.
"This is shaping up to be a very competitive Long Island field," said Mutscheller. "Adding Hewitt to the likes of Agassi and our defending champion Srichaphan should mean that our fans are in for some world-class tennis."
About the TD Waterhouse Cup
Long Island's premier sporting event, the TD Waterhouse Cup is now part of the prestigious US Open Series, a six-week summer season consisting of 10 hard-court ATP and WTA tournaments being played in North America. The
TD Waterhouse Cup will be the last tournament leading up to the year's final Grand Slam in New York City. In its 24th year, the TD Waterhouse Cup will be played August 21-29, 2004 at the Hamlet Golf and Country Club in Commack, L.I. To purchase tickets and for information on any family events, call (516) 876-0400 or visit the Web site at www.tdwaterhousecup.com <http://www.tdwaterhousecup.com/> .