HOUSTON – Five past champions, nine Americans and a trio of 21-and-under rising stars 22 highlight the initial entry list for the 2018 Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship which will be held at River Oaks Country Club April 7-15.
The US Clay winner in four of the past five years – Steve Johnson (2017), Jack Sock (2015), Fernando Verdasco (2014) and John Isner (2013) – will be joined by 2007 US Clay winner Ivo Karlovic in the field.
Johnson, Sock and Isner are among an American contingent that includes two-time finalist Sam Querrey, Tennys Sandgren, Ryan Harrison, Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz and Donald Young.
The 20-year-old Tiafoe, who won his first career ATP title last week in Delray Beach, is among the younger generation in the field, along with 20-year-old Fritz and 21-year-old Hyeon Chung, who won the 2017 ATP NextGen Finals in Milan.
“We are very excited to have these players enter the 2018 U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship,” said Tournament Director Bronwyn Greer. “This lineup has a great blend of veterans and up-and-comers to go along with a strong roster of Americans mixed with these international stars.“
Here is the initial entry list of 21 players for the 2018 Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship:
(ATP Rank) Name, Age, Country • Mini bio
(8) Kevin Anderson, 31, South Africa • 2017 US Open finalist; 5-5 at US Clay
(10) Jack Sock, 25, USA • No. 1 American; 13-4 at US Clay, 2015 champion
(11) Sam Querrey, 30, USA • 2017 Wimbledon SF, US Open QF; 14-8 at US Clay, 2010, 2015 finalist
(19) John Isner, 32, USA • 12 career ATP titles; 14-9 at US Clay, 2013 champion
(27) Fernando Verdasco, 34, Spain • 213-128 on clay, 494-366 overall; 11-4 at US Clay, 2014 champ
(29) Hyeon Chung, 21, Korea • 2018 Australian Open SF, 2017 ATP Next Gen Champ; 4-3 at US Clay
(38) Feliciano Lopez, 36, Spain • Has reached two finals in each of last five seasons; 8-5 at US Clay
(47) Steve Johnson, 28, USA • Three straight 30-win seasons; 6-4 at US Clay, 2017 champion
(57) Guido Pella, 27, Argentina • 10 of 12 career Challenger titles on clay; 0-1 at US Clay
(58) Tennys Sandgren, 26, USA • 2018 Australian Open quarterfinalist; 0-1 at US Clay
(60) Ryan Harrison, 25, USA • 3 finals in 12 months, 2017 French Open doubles champ; 3-5 at US Clay
(61) France Tiafoe, 20, USA • 2018 ATP Delray Beach champion; 0-2 at US Clay, 2017 doubles finalist
(69) Horacio Zeballos, 32, Argentina • 11 Challenger titles on clay; 6-4 at US Clay, 2017 doubles champ
(77) Taylor Fritz, 20, USA • Reached first ATP final at just 18 in 2016; US Clay debut
(80) Ivo Karlovic, 38, USA • Oldest player in ATP Top 100; 7-5 at US Clay, 2007 champion
(89) Donald Young, 28, USA • 2017 French Open doubles finalist; 4-7 at US Clay
(92) Jordan Thompson, 23, Australia • Five career Challenger titles; US Clay debut
(93) John Millman, 28, Australia • 10 career Challenger titles; US Clay debut
(96) Nicolas Kicker, 25, Argentina • Made ATP debut at US Clay in 2016, 1-2 at US Clay
(97) Jeremy Chardy 31, France • Owns career high ranking of No. 25; 3-2 at US Clay
(101) Lukas Lacko, 30, Slovakia • 11 career Challenger titles; 1-1 at US Clay
Three more players will be awarded wild cards to join the field while four others will earn entry through the two-round qualifying tournament at River Oaks April 7-8.
Limited tickets remain available for select sessions of the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship. To purchase tickets or for more information visit https://mensclaycourt.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=8cd90cad87229f07f8a54782e&id=a96ea73d51&e=06f412e14d.
