2011 Sony Ericsson Open – ATP Wildcards Part II: Ryan Harrison
American teenager and World Number 152 is the second Association of Tennis Professionals [ATP] player to be given a wildcard into the main draw of the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open, otherwise known as the Miami Masters. He is the 11th highest-ranked
American pro on the circuit at this time, as well as the one of the few players still in their teens. The pro turned pro in 2007, and is coached by Pat Harrison and Martin Damm. He is also an alumnus of the prestigious Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy.
His highest career ranking so far is World Number 138, which he reached at the end of January this year. At 18 years old, he is the first teenage American to defeat a Top 20 player in a Grand Slam battle since former World Number 1 Andy Roddick defeated
Alex Corretja in the third round of the 2001 US Open at the age of 19.
Harrison matched Roddick’s record by scoring a victory over fifteenth seed Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia in the first round of the 2010 US Open. This also marked his first win at a Grand Slam event.
The American pro first came to attention in 2008, when he defeated World Number 130 Pablo Cuevas to win the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships. This victory was a significant one for Harrison, as it made him one of just three teenage players since 1990
to win an ATP level tournament. The other two players are World Number 1 Rafael Nadal and French tennis pro Richard Gasquet.
In 2008, the player crossed yet another milestone by qualifying for his first ATP World Tour event in Houston. He qualified for the tournament after defeating Alex Reichel, who was 37 years old at the time. He entered the event as a qualifier, and even managed
to score a straight-sets victory over fourth seed Philip King in the first round before being ousted.
The right-handed pro has been touted as the next big talent to emerge from America. He has produced great results for a player his age, has also scored a number of upsets. His last tournament was the 2011 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells, the first
Masters 1000 event of the year. He began his campaign by upsetting World Number 49 Jeremy Chardy in three sets, and went on to conquer Top 25 player Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in straight sets.
Harrison proceeded to the third round against young gun Milos Raonic, who won his first ATP career title just weeks ago. After a gruelling match, the American pro emerged victorious and set up a fourth round match against the Maestro, Roger Federer. The
Swiss player ousted him in straight sets.
Qualifying on the basis of his nationality and his spectacular performances, Ryan Harrison is expected to provide good results at the Miami Masters. If his Indian Wells showing is anything to go by, he will probably make it to the third round at the very
least.
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