The Dallas Tennis Classic, presented by Zodiac Watches, is set for March 11-17 at the Four Seasons Resort and Club in Las Colinas. The second-year event is back in its slot on the ATP tournament schedule between the high profile BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells) and the Sony Open (Miami) events, and will have a strong field for DFW tennis fans. The 22 players who currently make up the tournament's entry list are all ranked in the top 74 in the world.
"We are absolutely thrilled with this year's entry list," said Zoltan Papp, Dallas Tennis Classic tournament director. "The last player to get into our draw is ranked 74, which makes Dallas Tennis Classic stronger than most ATP events her in the USA."
The Dallas Tennis Classic presented by Zodiac Watches is sanctioned by the ATP and has the highest level of prize money on the ATP Challenger Tour ($125,000). The tournament has an exception from other challenger events (due to its spot on the calendar), in that players positioned 11-50 in the ATP rankings are allowed to enter and those ranked top 10 in the world are allowed to receive a Wild Card.
"Having four Wild Cards will allow us to recruit a few more marquee players, such as Marcos Baghdatis and Gael Monfils," Papp added. "This year's tournament is phenomenal and we couldn't be more excited."
Two of the more notable players on the entry list are world No. 12 Marin Cilic and the former No. 2 player in the world, Tommy Haas. Cilic won the Zagreb Open last week in his home country of Croatia. Haas won the Halle grass court event in Germany last year by beating 16-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in the finals. Many fans recall the buzz at last year's event when Haas and his good friend and fellow countryman, Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki played on one of the resort's outer courts.
Tickets beginning at $10 are available by visiting dallastennisclassic.com.
FOUR SEASONS RESORT AND CLUB 4150 N MACARTHUR BLVD. IRVING, TX 75038
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