AS the US$984,300 Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur gears up for its 5th birthday and Visit Malaysia Year celebrations, the tournament, to be played at Putra Stadium, Kuala Lumpur from September 21 to 29, 2013, released its full entry list today.
The line-up is headed by two previously announced top-10 players – world No.4 and French Open finalist David Ferrer, and world No.9 Swiss, Stan Wawrinka. Among the field there are four players who have been either winners (Nikolay Davydenko and defending champion Juan Monaco) or finalists (Marcos Baghdatis and Julien Benneteau) at the Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur.
Two top 20 stars have been added to the field. They are Spaniard Nicolas Almagro, currently ranked 15, but who has spent most of the year in the top 10 and the big serving Croat Marin Cilic, ranked 18, who makes his KL debut. This year Cilic won the Zagreb event and was a finalist at The Queen’s Club, London.
“You always want to go back to a place where you have done well, so I am very happy about coming back to Kuala Lumpur and this year I bring four of my Davis Cup team mates,” said Monaco. “Last year was my first time in Malaysia and I liked it very much, and I won the tournament. I hope it can happen again.”
Italian Andreas Seppi (#21) is enjoying a strong season as part of the resurgence of Italian tennis, Austrian Jurgen Melzer will be playing the tournament for the third straight year, having been a quarter-finalist in 2011, and the giant killing Argentine Federico Delbonis is a new and exciting name to look out for – he recently upset Roger Federer as did another one of the tournament’s entrants, Germany’s Daniel Brands. Delbonis is currently next in on the entry list and would take one of the Special Exempt slots.
The full entry list is included. The singles main draw features 28 players. There are 19 direct acceptances, three wild cards and four qualifiers. Two “special exempts” slots are held until the week before and can be used, if necessary, for KL qualifying draw players, who have reached the last rounds of the main draw of an ATP World Tour tournament the previous week – otherwise the next two players on the list receive a direct entry.
“We are delighted that so many marquee names have decided to come to KL to celebrate our fifth birthday,” said Tournament Director Nick Freyer, of organisers IMG. “In addition to the previously announced top 10 marquee players, stars of the future and previous finalists, we now welcome three additional top 21 players in Nicolas Almagro, Marin Cilic and Andreas Seppi, plus a host of exciting others that include Jurgen Melzer, Vasek Pospisil, Dimitry Tursunov, and giant killer Federico Delbonis – an exciting field worthy of our celebrations.
Two singles main draw wild cards have been awarded to Wimbledon junior finalist Hyeon Chung of South Korea and Carreno, who also received a wild card into the doubles, where he pairs with budding countryman Roberto Carballes, who received a singles qualifying wild card.
One main draw singles wild card and one doubles pair wild card remain to be confirmed, with the names of the three qualifying wild cards for local players to be announced in conjunction with the Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia, in early September. .
Tickets prices remain very reasonable and range from RM 10 to RM 120, and there will be free admission between Saturday, September 21 and Tuesday, September 24.
