Defending Champion Ferrer Coming Back to Heineken Open
In a first for the Heineken Open the defending Sovereign singles titleholder is returning to Auckland as a top-10 ranked player with highly sought after David Ferrer of Spain set to try and become one of the few players to score a repeat win at the ASB Tennis Centre.
The current world No 6 has had a remarkable year starting with his success at the Heineken Open which he entered ranked at 14th and finished with his first hardcourt title and came on the back of three set victories in the first round, quarter-finals and semifnals.
In the final Ferrer beat countryman Tommy Robredo 6-4 6-2, becoming the first Spaniard to win the title.
Aside from Auckland there were two other titles – Bastad in Sweden and another hardcourt victory, this time in Tokyo. His first two career titles were in Bucharest in 2002 and Stuttgart in 2006.
However it was Ferrer’s efforts in Masters Series events and Grand Slams which cemented his place in the elite top-10 rankings.
At the Australian Open directly after the Heineken Open he progressed to the fourth round while the US Open sealed him as a challenger to the big names. He beat David Nalbandian in the third round in five sets, Rafael Nadal in the fourth round followed by Juan Ignacio Chela in the quarters before being stopped by Novak Djokovic in the semis.
Previously in Grand Slams he had reached the quarters at Roland Garros in 2005
Other top results included five quarter-final finishes at Masters Series events – Indian Wells, Monte Carlo (beat Djokovic, lost to Roger Federer), Hamburg, Cincinnati (beat Andy Roddick, lost to Nikolay Davydenko) and Paris last week.
His consistency has earned him a placed in the elite top-eight year-end Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai next week.
“It’s an honour for the tournament to have a top-10 player of David’s class returning to defend his title at the Heineken Open. David consolidated his position as a true top-10 player. Auckland crowds will be thrilled to see the speed of his game once again,” says Heineken Open tournament director and ATP board member Graham Pearce.
“In 2007 he’s had a remarkable year winning his first hard court tournament with the Sovereign singles title at the Heineken Open plus two other titles and also reaching the semis at the US Open. Next week he’s one of the elite top-eight players in the world fighting it out for the year-end Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, which is an outstanding achievement,” says Pearce.
The only player to repeat their singles success in consecutive years at the Heineken Open and the tournaments predecessors has been New Zealander Onny Parun who initially won the in the 1972-73 season before being beaten by Bjorn Bjorg the next year in the final. However In the 1974-75 season Parun regained the title and defended it in 1975-76.
The Heineken Open featuring the Sovereign singles and doubles will be held at the ASB Tennis Centre, January 7 – 12, 2008 with the first two days of qualifying January 5 – 6, 2008 at the Albany Tennis Park, Oteha Valley Road, Albany starting at 10am each day.
The 2008 tournament will feature live scoring as well as live streaming of play.
