HOUSTON – Former champion John Isner will return to River Oaks Country Club for the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship. The April 4-10 event has also received early commitments from Kevin Anderson and Benoit Paire.
The addition of these three players to the previously announced Feliciano Lopez gives the tournament commitments from four players who began this season in the Top 20 of the Emirates ATP Rankings – No. 11 Isner, No. 12 Anderson, No. 17 Lopez and No. 19 Paire. In addition, five-time doubles champions Bob and Mike Bryan will also be returning to River Oaks.
“The commitments of these players to our 2016 tournament increases both the caliber of the field as well as our international flavor,” said Tournament Director Bronwyn Greer. “With four Top 20 singles players along with the best doubles team in the sport’s history, we are confident we can once again deliver a world class event for the city of Houston.”
Isner won the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship title in 2013, one year after he reached the final. At No. 11 in the Emirate ATP Rankings, he is the No. 1 ranked American. Isner, who was a four-time All-American at Georgia, has won 10 career ATP titles. He will be playing at River Oaks for the ninth time in his career.
Anderson finished 2015 career-best year-end ranking of No. 12. The South African who broke into the Top 10 briefly late in 2015, owns three career ATP titles. He was a three-time All-American at the University of Illinois. A semifinalist at River Oaks in 2015, he will be playing the tournament for the fifth time.
Paire ended 2015 at his career-high ranking of No. 19. The Frenchman claimed his first career title last season at a clay court tournament in Bastad, Sweden. He is opening his 2016 season in Chennai, India, and with one win there he will reach the 100 match win milestone for his career. Paire will be making his debut at River Oaks.
The entries of Lopez and the Bryans were announced in November. Lopez, a 2012 semifinalist at River Oaks, will be playing the event for the fourth time. The Bryans, who have finished at the ATP’s No. 1 doubles team 10 times in their career, will try for a sixth Clay Courts title in their 14th appearance at the event.
Single session tickets and the popular Champs Pass packages with tickets to the final three days are on sale now. More information can be found at www.usmensclaycourt.com.
