NEW YORK (SMI-WIRE,07.18.18) – The USTA today announced that six previous US Open champions, led by defending champion and world No. 1 Rafael Nadal (Spain), will headline the men’s singles field for the 2018 US Open Tennis Championships. The field includes five-time US Open champion and world No. 2 Roger Federer (Switzerland), 2009 US Open champion and world No. 4 Juan Martin del Potro (Argentina), 2014 US Open champion and world No. 7 Marin Cilic (Croacia), two-time US Open champion and world No. 10 Novak Djokovic (Serbia),and 2012 US Open champion Andy Murray (England).

 

Rounding out the top 10 entries are: No. 3 Alexander Zverev (Germany); No. 5 Kevin Anderson (South Africa), last year’s US Open finalist; No. 6 Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria); No. 8 John Isner, of Greensboro, N.C.(U.S.A), who reached his first career Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon earlier this month; and No. 9 Dominic Thiem (Austria).

 

The 2018 US Open main draw will be played Monday, August 27, through Sunday, September 9, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. The US Open Men’s Singles Championship is presented by Chase.

 

Each of the world’s top 101 men received direct entry into the US Open, representing 40 countries. The United States has 11 men who qualified for direct entry into the US Open’s main draw—the most of any country.

 

Jordan Thompson (AUS), ranked No. 101, is the last man to receive direct entry into the field of 128. Three players used a protected ranking to gain entry, including No. 2 Murray, No. 66 Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN), and No. 95 Cedrik-Marcel Stebe (GER). Sixteen more players will gain entry through the US Open Qualifying Tournament, held August 21-24, while the eight remaining spots are wild cards awarded by the USTA.

 

In addition to Isner, the other American men who received direct entry into this year’s tournament include: No. 14 Jack Sock, of Lincoln, Neb., No. 28 Sam Querrey, of Santa Monica, Calif., No. 45 Frances Tiafoe, of Orlando, Fla., No. 48 Steve Johnson, of Orange, Calif., No. 55 Ryan Harrison, of Austin, Texas, No. 56 Tennys Sandgren, of Gallatin, Tenn., No. 60 Jared Donaldson, of Providence, R.I., No. 65 Taylor Fritz of Rancho Sante Fe, Calif., No. 80 Mackenzie McDonald, of Piedmont, Calif., and No. 86 Denis Kudla, of Arlington, Va.

 

The July 16 edition of the ATP Rankings was used to determine the US Open main draw entry list. Seeds will be determined and announced closer to the start of the event.

 

The 2018 US Open will mark the culmination of the US Open Series, the North American summer season of seven ATP World Tour and WTA events that begin next week in Atlanta. 

 

This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the US Open, and throughout Fan Week and the Main Draw of the tournament, special recognitions and ceremonies will take place to honor the tradition and history of the event, as well as celebrate its great champions. In addition, the 2018 US Open marks the completion of the Strategic Transformation of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center with the opening of the new 14,000-seat Louis Armstrong Stadium. In all, the five-year project, which revamped more than 90 percent of the facility, will have incorporated the installation of a retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium, the construction of a new Louis Armstrong Stadium (also with a retractable roof), a new Grandstand, new West Stadium and practice courts, as well as a completely renovated and redesigned southern campus.

 

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The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level -- from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with more than 655,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended annual sporting events in the world, and launched the US Open Series, linking seven summer WTA and ATP World Tour tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network.