Spaniard Joins James Blake, Vince Spadea As Early Entries
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - June 29, 2006 Feliciano Lopez, a 2005 Pilot Pen Tennis finalist, has entered the men’s main draw of the tournament presented by Michelob ULTRA, a US Open Series event on the ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour set for August 18-26, 2006 at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale, it was announced today by Anne Worcester, tournament director.
Lopez, who is currently ranked No. 49 in the ATP world rankings, joins defending champion James Blake and American Vince Spadea as the ATP Tour players who have committed early to the Pilot Pen. In addition to the men, the strong women’s field already includes World No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo, defending champion Lindsay Davenport and top ranked players Elena Dementieva, Anastasia Myskina, Daniela Hantuchova, Elena Likhovtseva, Sania Mirza, Nathalie Dechy and Jelena Jankovic.
“Feliciano is one of the young, rising stars in the game of tennis that Pilot Pen fans love to watch,” said Worcester. “His powerful serve and terrific forehand, combined with the fact that he is left handed, creates a difficult match-up for his opponents.”
Lopez best finish last year was his finals run at the Pilot Pen, but he also had strong showings at Marseille, France, where he reached the semifinals, and Wimbledon, where he had a quarterfinals berth, his best finish in a Grand Slam. This year, the Spaniard’s best result was just a week ago when he reached the quarterfinals at Nottingham, England.
After a Davis Cup-like atmosphere during his final against James Blake, Lopez said, “This was the first time that men played at the Pilot Pen but it is already one of the best tournaments on the ATP Tour.”
For a more information about the tournament or daily tickets please call the Pilot Pen Tennis Box Office at 888/99-PILOT, 203/776-7331, or log on to www.pilotpentennis.com.
About Pilot Pen Tennis presented by Michelob ULTRA
The 2006 Pilot Pen presented by Michelob ULTRA (www.pilotpentennis.com), a US Open Series event on the ATP Tour and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, will be held August 18-26 at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale.
The Pilot Pen is the first ever combined men’s and women’s summer tournament leading into the US Open. Players who have committed to the 2006 Pilot Pen include ATP Tour star James Blake and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour players Lindsay Davenport, Amelie Mauresmo, Elena Dementieva, Anastasia Myskina, Daniela Hantuchova, Elena Likhovtseva and Sania Mirza. The 2005 Pilot Pen drew 100,000 spectators and was televised nationally on 20 hours of ESPN2 and CBS Sports. For information on tickets, travel packages, sponsorships or on how to become a volunteer at the 2006 Pilot Pen, call the Pilot Pen Tennis office at (203) 776-7331 or (888) 99-PILOT.
Website: http://www.pilotpentennis.com
About the US Open Series
The US Open Series, launched in 2004, is the cohesive, six-week summer tennis season of 10 North American tournaments linked to the US Open. The Series has produced record attendance, TV viewership and live broadcast hours for the sport. In total, the US Open Series events -- including the US Open -- generated a record 1.6 million attendees, 128 million TV viewers and over 28 million website visits making it the strongest summertime property in sports. Kim Clijsters and Andy Roddick are the defending US Open Series champions. By winning the US Open and the US Open Series, Clijsters doubled her prize money to earn $2.2 million - - the largest purse in women's sports history.