HOUSTON – The Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship has announced the commitments of John Isner and Nick Kyrgios to the player field for the April 6-14 event at River Oaks Country Club.
Isner, the 2013 champion, and Kyrgios, a 2018 quarterfinalist, join a field that includes two-time defending champion Steve Johnson, two-time finalist Sam Querrey, and four rising stars aged 23-and-under – Taylor Fritz, Mackenzie McDonald, Yoshihito Nishioka and Cameron Norrie.
“We are pleased to welcome John and Nick back to the event,” said Tournament Director Bronwyn Greer. “John has played at River Oaks every year we have hosted the event, so it wouldn’t be the same without him. We’re also thrilled Nick will be returning. He generated a lot of excitement last year in his debut, and I suspect the fans will once again be eager to see him in action.”
Isner, who is currently ranked No. 9 in the world, enjoyed one of his most successful pro seasons in 2018. He finished in the Top 10 for the first time in his career following his biggest title – at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami – and his best career Grand Slam result, a semifinal at Wimbledon.
In the past nine straight seasons, Isner, who will turn 34 in April, has won more than 30 matches and been ranked in the Top 20. He has finished as the No. 1 American in six of those nine seasons, and his 14 overall titles are the most among active US players.
The 2013 US Clay champion, he is the only player to have appeared in every edition of the event since it moved to River Oaks in 2008 and boasts a 15-10 record here. He now calls Texas home, living in Dallas with his wife, Madison, and five-month-old daughter, Hunter.
Kyrgios returns to River Oaks for a second US Clay appearance after reaching the quarterfinals last year in his debut. The 23-year-old has reached at least one final in each of the past four seasons, claiming at total of four titles and three runner-up finishes, including at the ATP Masters 1000 in Cincinnati and ATP 500 in Beijing.
In 2014, at the age of 19, the Australian announced himself to the world with a win over No. 1 Rafael Nadal on his way to the Wimbledon quarterfinals. He was the youngest to defeat the No. 1 ranked player at a Major since Nadal himself did so in 2005.
A former junior No. 1, he won the 2013 Australian Open boys’ title and was a three-time junior doubles champion at Majors.
The complete initial entry list of 21 players for the 2019 tournament will be released Feb. 27. Three additional players will be awarded wild cards, while four players will advance through the two-round qualifying tournament that will be April 6-7 to round out the 28-player field.
The 16-team doubles field will be headlined by six-time champions Bob and Mike Bryan. That initial entry list will be released in mid-March.
Limited tickets remain for select sessions of the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship at www.mensclaycourt.com. The tournament is once again utilizing the Ticket Turnback Program to allow patrons holding tickets they cannot use to release those for resale, with the proceeds being donated to The Pediatric Trauma Center at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.
