Two-Time Champion Murray, Trio of Americans
Added to 2020 Western & Southern Open Field
CINCINNATI (Aug. 3, 2020) – Two-time winner Andy Murray and Americans Tommy Paul, Tennys Sandgren and Frances Tiafoe have been awarded wild cards for the Western & Southern Open.
Murray, who claimed the Cincinnati title in 2008 and 2011, is the sixth Western & Southern Open champion entered in this year’s tournament, joining Daniil Medvedev (2019), Novak Djokovic (2018), Grigor Dimitrov (2017), Marin Cilic (2016) and Rafael Nadal (2013) in the field for the ATP Masters 1000 event that will be held Aug. 20-28 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.
A three-time Major winner, Murray also counts the 2012 Olympic gold medal among his 46 career titles. In January 2019, Murray underwent a hip resurfacing operation. He came back to play doubles in June, then returned to singles competition at last year’s Western & Southern Open before winning the title at Antwerp in October. The Western & Southern Open, where he owns a 31-12 record, will be Murray’s first ATP action in 2020.
Paul started the 2020 campaign by reaching his first career ATP semifinal at Adelaide. One month later he was a quarterfinalist in Acapulco. In 2019, he was 30-5 on the ATP Challenger Tour with three titles. In 2015, Paul won the French Open junior title and was runner-up at the US Open. The 23-year-old native of New Jersey will be making his second Western & Southern Open main draw appearance.
Sandgren has reached the Australian Open quarterfinals twice in the past three years. In 2019, Sandgren did not drop a set in Auckland where he claimed his first career title. Sandgren played two seasons at the University of Tennessee where he led the Volunteers to the NCAA team final in 2010. He will be making his debut in the main draw of the Western & Southern Open.
Tiafoe was a quarterfinalist at the 2019 Australian Open, which came less than a year after he claimed his first career ATP title at Delray Beach in February 2018. In 2017, Tiafoe defeated his highest-ranked opponent when he upset No. 7 Alexander Zverev in Cincinnati to reach the Round of 16. The 22-year-old Maryland native will be making his fourth appearance at the Western & Southern Open, where he has a 3-3 record.
Forty of the top 43 players in the ATP Rankings were on the initial entry list for the 2020 Western & Southern Open which was released last week. The complete initial entry list can be found here.
Twelve additional players will join the field through a two-round qualifying event.
The Western & Southern Open women’s field also includes six former champions: Madison Keys (2019), Kiki Bertens (2018), Garbiñe Muguruza (2017), Karolina Pliskova (2016), Serena Williams (2014-15) and Kim Clijsters (2010). The complete initial entry list for the WTA Premier 5 tournament can be found here.
Main draw play for the Western & Southern Open will begin on Aug. 22. Both singles finals will be held on Friday, Aug. 28, with the WTA final taking place at 2 p.m., and the ATP Tour’s at 4 p.m.
About the Western & Southern Open
The Western & Southern Open takes place at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, 20 miles north of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. The tournament is one of the prestigious ATP Masters 1000 events on the men's tour and a Premier 5 event for the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). The W&S Open is the largest annual summer sporting event in the US Midwest, hosting fans from all 50 states and more than 35 countries with more than 50 million global viewers in more than 160 countries. The tournament is also one of the last stops on the US Open Series before the US Open in New York. Since 1974, the tournament has contributed more than $11 million to various beneficiaries including Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, the Barrett Cancer Center and Tennis for City Youth. For more information, visit www.wsopen.com.
About the US Open Series
The US Open Series serves as a true “regular season” of summer tennis in North America, linking nine summer WTA and ATP Tour tournaments to the US Open. Featuring a cohesive weekly schedule, the Series centralizes the way tennis is viewed in North America, across multiple television and digital platforms. Fans will see today's top champions go head-to-head with tomorrow's emerging stars, as storylines develop throughout the summer season. Each tournament also engages its local community with a variety of outreach initiatives, including grass-roots youth tennis clinics and activities.
About the WTA
Founded by Billie Jean King in 1973 on the principle of equal opportunity for women in sports, the WTA is the global leader in women’s professional sport with more than 1,650 players representing 84 nations competing for a record $180 million in prize money. In 2019, the WTA was watched by a record breaking global audience of 700 million. The 2019 WTA competitive season includes 53 events and four Grand Slams in 28 countries and regions. The season culminates with the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen, offering a $14 million total prize purse and honoring the season’s top singles and doubles players. Further information on the WTA can be found at www.wtatennis.com.
About the ATP
The ATP is the governing body of the men's professional tennis circuits - the ATP Tour, the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Champions Tour. With 64 tournaments in 30 countries, the ATP Tour showcases the finest male athletes competing in the world’s most exciting venues. From Australia to Europe and the Americas to Asia, the stars of the 2020 ATP Tour will battle for prestigious titles and FedEx ATP Rankings points at ATP Masters 1000, 500 and 250 events, as well as Grand Slams (non ATP events). The 2020 season launched with the inaugural ATP Cup in Australia and will culminate with only the world’s top 8 qualified singles players and doubles teams competing for the last title of the season at the Nitto ATP Finals in November. Held at The O2 in London, the event will officially crown the 2020 ATP Tour No. 1. For more information, please visit www.ATPTour.com.