Gilles Simon will make his debut at the Brasil Open next season – Tennis News
France’s number two tennis player, Gilles Simon, has confirmed his participation in the next year’s Brasil Open for the first time. The ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 event will be held on the indoor clay courts of the Complexo Desportivo Constâncio Vaz Guimaraes in Sao Paulo, from 11th to 19th of February.
Finishing the 2011 ATP season as the world number 12, Simon was delighted on making debut at the Brasil Open and hopes he will take off the next season by extending his championship title count. The 26-year-old French reached his career best ranking of world number eleven this year, but eventually fell by one spot in a month’s time and finished off the current year with a 39-27 winning record.
Simon has nine ATP championship titles to his name till date, claiming two of them in 2011. He clinched the first ATP World Tour 250 title of the season in Sydney, outplaying the world number 30, Viktor Troicki of Serbia, in the final. The second championship victory came for Simon in Hamburg by stunning the world number 14, Nicolas Almagro, in the final of the World Tour-500 level tournament.
The 12th ranked French will make his debut in Sao Paulo next season and two other players have yet confirmed their participation in the event. Former world number three, David Nalbandian of Argentina, along with the 24th ranked Spaniard, Fernando Verdasco, have shown their commitment to be a part of the next edition of the Brasil Open.
“I hope I will have a good tournament in Sao Paulo,” said Nalbandian, a member of the Davis Cup team that finished runner-up to Spain last weekend. “I'm aiming to play full 2012 season. I've still got a lot to give.”
Current world number 10, Nicolas Almagro of Spain claimed his second Brasil Open title this year in Costa do Sauipe, defeating the Ukrainian opponent, Alexandr Dolgopolov in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6(3). Almagro previously bagged the Brasil Open title in 2008 but has not yet confirmed that will he be defending his title in Sao Paulo in February or not.
Simon has been in a decent form this year and his addition to the Brasil Open line up will make the field more competitive this time. The French will certainly like to kick off the coming 2012 ATP season with a couple of championship titles early on to break into the Top-10 in men’s rankings.
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