WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Three top-ranked players have committed to the 2013 Winston-Salem Open, which will be held August 18-24 at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex adjacent to BB&T Field. John Isner, winner of the 2011 and 2012 Winston-Salem Opens, will return for a third year to defend his title and will be joined by fellow competitors Tommy Haas and Sam Querrey.

 

"We are extremely pleased that John, Tommy and Sam have signed on as the first players who will compete at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex this August," Winston-Salem Open Director Bill Oakes said. "Last year’s tournament featured 25 of the world’s Top-50 players, and we anticipate announcing another blockbuster group of competitors during the next couple months that I’m sure our growing base of local tennis fans will want to see."

 

North Carolina native and University of Georgia All-American Isner is the two-time defending champion of the Winston-Salem Open and has never lost a match at the Wake Forest Tennis Center. The 28-year-old local favorite beat Tomas Berdych in the final last year after winning the inaugural Winston-Salem Open in 2011 by beating Julien Benneteau for the championship. The 6-foot-9 Isner boasts perhaps the most-powerful serve on the ATP World Tour and has led the tour in aces in two of the past three years. He reached a career-high ranking of No. 9 in April 2012 and is currently at No. 21, no thanks to a knee injury in January that forced him to miss the Australian Open and the following four weeks. He won the sixth ATP title of his career in April, when he won at Houston and recently advanced to the third round of the French Open before losing a five-set heartbreaker to Haas.

 

Haas has been arguably the most compelling success story on the ATP Tour this year. At age 35, he has climbed all the way to No. 14 in the rankings and is currently still alive in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, where he is the oldest player remaining in the draw. He pulled out a five-set marathon against Isner in the third round. Haas won the 14th ATP title of his career in Munich in April and also has reached the final at San Jose and the semifinals at Miami this year. Once ranked as high as No. 2 in 2002, Haas has battled through five major surgeries and has twice won the ATP’s "Comeback Player of the Year" award, including last year. His best year came in 2001, when he won four titles.

 

The 6-foot-6 Querrey is currently the highest-ranked American player at No. 20, and he has been ranked as high as No. 17. He has seven career ATP World Tour titles, including three in Los Angeles. Querrey won four titles in 2010 and won the US Open Series in 2009. He missed the inaugural Winston-Salem Open in 2011 while on the mend from elbow surgery but had an impressive showing last year, reaching the semifinals before losing to Tomas Berdych. Querrey’s best finishes this year have been trips to the semifinals in Auckland and San Jose.

 

Tickets to the Winston-Salem Open are available online at winstonsalemopen.com, by calling 336-758-6409 or at the Wake Forest ticket office located at Bridger Field House at BB&T Field. The Winston-Salem Open is offering several enhancements to this year’s tournament, including new seating that features approximately 20 percent more leg room for individual reserved seats and eliminates all "bench seating." Also, there will be no additional fees to the ticket price, parking will be free again this year, and all box seats are padded for comfort.

 

The Winston-Salem Open, an ATP World Tour 250 event with a total purse of $625,000, will take place from August 18-24, 2013, with qualifying set for August 17. The tournament will be the final men’s event of the Emirates Airline US Open Series.  For more information on the 2013 Winston-Salem Open, please go to winstonsalemopen.com. 

 

Now in its 10th season, the Emirates Airline US Open Series continues to serve as a true regular season of hard-court tennis, linking nine summer tournaments to the US Open.  Fans follow the action throughout the summer during national broadcast coverage, while players battle for $40 million, including a chance for bonus prize money at the US Open. The Series collectively reached a U.S. television audience of 39 million and drew more than 800,000 on-site fans in 2011. In 2012, Emirates Airline became the title sponsor of the Series, as well as the official airline of the US Open. The Emirates Airline US Open Series is also supported by sponsors American Express, Chase, Citizen Watch Company and Esurance.