SAP Open 2011 starts today
The main draw of the Sap Open 2011 will get underway today at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. This will be the 122nd iteration of the tournament, which is the second-oldest tennis competition in the United States.
The tournament is part of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 series, and points from it count towards the 2011 ATP World Tour. The tournament is held indoors on a hard court surface, and has been at its current venue since 1994.
As one of the oldest Tennis competitions in the world, the SAP Open has a long list of illustrious winners. Particularly dominant here are the Americans, with Andy Roddick winning here three times in the last six years and appearing in the final last year.
He is not here again, however, and neither is two-time winner Andy Murray, the World no.5.
Defending champion, Fernando Verdasco of Spain, is the top seed this year and the world no.9.
Also present is Gael Monfils, who restarts his season here after a disappointing start to the year. The Frenchman is still world no.12 though, and that ranking makes him the second seed at the tournament.
Representing the home threat is Sam Querry, the American no.2 and the world no.17. Querry will look to continue the tradition set by his more illustrious compatriots such as Roddick and Andre Agassi, by winning here. Belgian Xavier Malisse is the fourth
seed, and only has a very outside chance of taking the trophy.
This tournament may seem a little top-heavy, as there is a huge gulf in class between the top three seeds and the rest of the participants, but a strong showing is expected from every player.
Dennis Istomin of Uzbekistan is another world top 50 player here, and Benjamin Becker lies just outside at 54.
The strongest threat outside of the top three comes from Llyeton Hewitt though. The great Australian, who was once world no.1, has not been having a good year. He has fallen to no.68 in the world rankings and is struggling to string together winning performances.
His level of play, however, is still often the same as it was three or four years ago, when he was one of the best players in the world. With multiple grand slams to his name, Hewitt is well-capable of devastating all opposition. He will indeed be looming
large as a potential contender in the minds of the top seeds, and they would be wise to be wary of the tennis great.
Kei Nishikori of Japan rounds off the top seeds at the event, and like the four other relative unknowns, he has only a very outside chance of getting the trophy.
With quality tennis players in the draw, fans will anticipate the likely showdowns. The event is a prime opportunity for Fernando Verdasco to reappear as a threat to Federer, Nadal, Murray and Djokovic, while also being a chance for Llyeton Hewitt to climb
back up the rankings. With all these factors in play, excitement builds as the start of the SAP Open approaches.
Tags: