Aug. 7, 2009
MONTREAL –
When four players withdrew Friday from the Rogers Cup tennis tournament in Montreal, an Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Masters Series event, former Kentucky men’s tennis All-American Bruno Agostinelli was awarded the fourth and final main draw wildcard entry into the prestigious tournament.
Agostinelli will face fellow Canadian wildcard entry Peter Polansky in a first-round match at Montreal’s Uniprix Stadium on Monday. The winner of the match will face Novak Djokovic, ranked fourth in the world, who receives a first-round bye in the 56-man tourney.
A last-minute withdrawal of four players ranked among the top 60 in the world Friday opened up the opportunity for Agostinelli. Richard Gasquet (No. 37), James Blake (No. 21), Jose Acasuso (No. 54) and Albert Montanes (No. 46) will not play in Montreal. These withdrawals allowed former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt (No. 42), who had previously been granted a wildcard, to earn direct entry into the main draw. As a result, the fourth main draw wildcard was awarded to the Niagara Falls, Ontario, native.
World No. 1 Roger Federer is the tourney’s top seed. Nine of the world’s top 10 players will compete in Canada’s second-largest city, including each of the top-five men: Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Djokovic and Andy Roddick.
Louis Borfiga, Vice-President of High Perfomance Athlete Development for Tennis Canada, praised Agostinelli’s match-winning performance against Peru to give Canada its Davis Cup victory last month.
“We are very happy to help Bruno with this new wildcard,” declared Borfiga. “He put forth a remarkable performance during our Davis Cup tie in Peru and we think that his career will benefit from this wildcard.”
The Rogers Cup is one of nine Masters Series events that are regarded as the top-level tourneys after the four major Grand Slams. The Canadian tournament annually rotates between Toronto and Montreal with one location hosting the men from the ATP while the other location welcomes the women of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). The Rogers Cup is the third oldest tournament on the tennis calendar behind only Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
• Quigley Falls in Decatur Futures Quarterfinal After Amazing Run
Returning Kentucky men’s tennis sophomore Eric Quigley fell to fellow American Nick Meister 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 in the quarterfinals of the Futures 20 tournament in Decatur, Ill., Friday afternoon.
The current Wildcat star had rattled off six straight wins through both the qualifying and main draws this week without surrendering a set before the loss.
Quigley picked up two Association of Tennis Professional (ATP) tour singles points, the first of his career, by defeating former Wildcat Tigran Martirosyan, ranked No. 415 in the world, Thursday.
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