CINCINNATI (August 1, 2014) – The four wild cards for the Western & Southern Open men’s draw have been awarded to Americans Jack Sock, Steve Johnson, Sam Querrey and Robby Ginepri. These four players are now into the main draw for the ATP Masters 1000 event that will take place at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason Aug. 9-17.
“We think the addition of these four players makes our already very strong field that much better,” said tournament director Vince Cicero. “These are two talented younger players in Jack and Steve who are enjoying great seasons and have been playing well of late along with a pair of veterans who have previously had success here at the Western & Southern Open. We’re very fortunate to add even more depth to our field with these wild cards.”
Ginepri, a 31-year-old who resides in Georgia, is the only active American to have reached a Grand Slam semifinal, doing so at the 2005 US Open. He also reached the Western & Southern Open semifinals that season, and holds a 12-10 lifetime record in Cincinnati. Ginepri has won three career ATP titles. Earlier this year, Ginepri won the title at the Tallahassee Challenger, his fifth career Challenger title.
Johnson, a 24-year-old from Orange, Calif., compiled a 72-match winning streak while claiming back-to-back NCAA singles titles and helping the University of Southern California to the NCAA team title in each of his four seasons as a Trojan. During 2014, Johnson has seen his ranking jump nearly 100 positions by reaching the semifinal in Delray Beach, Fla., and the quarterfinals at four other events, including this week in Washington, D.C. (he will play Milos Raonic there in the quarterfinals on Friday).
Sock, a 21-year-old native of Omaha, Neb., reached back-to-back semifinals in July at Newport, R.I., and Atlanta. The fourth-youngest player in the ATP Top 100, Sock also reached three quarterfinals earlier this season. He won the doubles titles at Wimbledon and Atlanta with Canada’s Vasek Pospisil, and the duo has entered the doubles field in Cincinnati. The Wimbledon title was Sock’s second at a Grand Slam following his US Open mixed doubles title with Melanie Oudin in 2011. He is also the last American to win the junior US Open, claiming that title in 2010.
Querrey, a 26-year-old from California, has won seven career ATP World Tour titles. At the Western & Southern Open, Querrey has an 8-7 lifetime record, including a run to the quarterfinals in 2007. Two of his 12 career victories over Top 10 players have come in Cincinnati, defeating No. 5 Andy Roddick in 2009 and No. 10 Mikhail Youzhny in 2007. His 2007 Cincinnati result is one of three quarterfinals he’s reached at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events.
These four wild card entrants join 44 players who have gained direct entry into the tournament’s 56-player field, which include 23 of the Top 25 players on the ATP World Tour. An additional seven players will join the field by way of a two-round qualifying tournament that will take place Aug. 9-10. One remaining spot is held for a player who could earn a special exempt status based on their results the week of Aug. 4 at the tournament in Toronto.
The women’s tournament at the Western & Southern Open will also consist of a 56-player singles field. An announcement of wild cards for the women’s tournament as well as for the men’s and women’s qualifying fields will be made next week.
The Western & Southern Open is one of only five tennis events in the world, outside of the grand slams, where the best men and women play during the same week at the same venue. In 2013, the tournament drew a single-week event record of 187,183 fans while selling out 13 of 16 sessions. Already two sessions – the semifinal evening session on Aug. 16 and the finals on Aug. 17 – have sold out for the 2014 event. Several other sessions are close to selling out, and fans are encouraged to act now to secure their seats in advance via www.cincytennis.com, by calling 513.651.0303 or through TicketMaster.
