BB&T Atlanta Open Entry List Revealed

This initial entry list came out on June 6.

No real surprises here for the newly named event that will be taking place at a new location on the property of Atlantic Station in the city of Atlanta.

With a date sandwiched between Wimbledon and the Olympics this year, the BB&T Atlanta Open has a fairly strong field for an ATP 250 tournament.

Here's the list:

1 Fish, Mardy USA 10
2 Isner, John USA 11
3 Nishikori, Kei JPN 18
4 Roddick, Andy USA 30
5 Anderson, Kevin RSA 34
6 Istomin, Denis UZB 43
7 Bogomolov Jr., Alex RUS 46
8 Young, Donald USA 51
9 Muller, Gilles LUX 54
10 Harrison, Ryan USA 56
11 Soeda, Go JPN 58
12 Lu, Yen-Hsun TPE 60
13 Mayer, Leonardo ARG 62
14 Lacko, Lukas SVK 64
15 Ito, Tatsuma JPN 68
16 Ebden, Matthew AUS 76
17 Malisse, Xavier BEL 77
18 Devvarman, Somdev IND @85
19 Lorenzi, Paolo ITA 86
20 (SE)
21 (SE)
22 (Q)
23 (Q)
24 (Q)
25 (Q)
26 (WC) Sock, Jack USA
27 (WC)
28 (WC)

The Mardy Fish entry is going to be interesting, especially if he isn't able to play on grass.

Jack Sock hasn't played in months with an injury and two other wildcard spot are still open.  I expect to see Brian Baker here if he wants to play.

The dates are July 14-22.  Get your tickets.

Mutua Madrid Open - Wednesday Matches to Watch

Most of the top players in the world hit the blue clay on Wednesday.

Here's what to keep an eye on:

Men

Nikolay Davydenko vs. Rafael Nadal - Rafael Nadal makes his debut on the blue clay.

Roger Federer vs. Milos Raonic

John Isner vs. Marin Cilic - A lot is now expected of Isner on clay.

Ryan Harrison vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - Harrison is due for a big win.

Women

Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Sara Errani - Errani has won 3 clay court events in 2012.  She's legit.

Victoria Azarenka vs. Ana Ivanovic

Angelique Kerber vs. Na Li

Sam Stosur vs. Petra Cetkovska

Mutua Madrid Open - Monday Matches to Watch

The women are through the first round and the men are ramping up play on Monday as everyone gets a taste of the blue clay in Madrid.

Here are the matches to keep an eye on:

Women:

Elena Vesnina vs. Serena Williams - Serena gets her first taste the blue clay.

Jelena Jankovic vs. Carla Suarez Navarro

Chanelle Scheepers vs. Sara Errani

Angelique Kerber vs. Venus Williams - Should be very close.  Would be a huge win for Venus.

Samantha Stosur vs. Christina McHale

Men:

Viktor Troicki vs. Donald Young - Can Young win more than just a few games?

Sergiy Stakhovsky vs. Ryan Harrison

Igor Andreev vs. Juan Carlos Ferrero

BB&T Atlanta Open Individual Session Tickets Now On Sale

Individual session tickets to the BB&T Atlanta Open are now available for purchase. The BB&T Atlanta Open will be held July 14 – 22 at Atlantic Station, in the heart of Midtown Atlanta. Tickets are available for purchase in each of the 11 sessions from qualifying weekend July 14-15 through the two finals on Sunday, July 22. Weeklong Ticket Packages, Weekend Ticket Packages, and Individual Session Tickets are available at http://www.bbtatlantaopen.com.

The BB&T Atlanta Open is the first men’s event in the Emirates Airline US Open Series. Several of the world’s top players have committed to play in the tournament: Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick, Top 10 player John Isner, Top 40 players Kei Nishikori and Kevin Anderson, and reigning US Open mixed doubles champ Jack Sock. 

Ticket options this year include Champagne Suites, Courtside Seats and Platinum seats all of which include VIP lounge access and other Weeklong Ticket Packages benefits. The Weekend Ticket Packages are also new for the tournament, allowing fans to purchase the last four sessions including the quarterfinal through final matches.  Weeklong Ticket Packages feature the same seat for all matches and the greatest discount off individual prices.

The BB&T Atlanta Open will be moving from previous suburban Atlanta locations to the heart of Midtown Atlanta for the first year of a multi-year partnership with Atlantic Station as the new host site. The tournament will be played on three new competition courts and three new practice courts being built on the site. The 3,600-seat stadium court will be visible from I-75/I-85, offering an outstanding view of the Atlanta skyline. This is one of the few outdoor tournaments ever to be held in the middle of a city on the entire ATP World Tour. Atlantic Station is a mixed-use development featuring 12 restaurants, 30 retailers and a movie theater complex.

“No tennis fan could have more fun at any other tournament in the world with all we have to offer this year,” stated Bob Bryant, tournament director. “The focus is on great tennis, a fun festival-like environment, fan friendly features and convenience. The BB&T Atlanta Open at Atlantic Station will be the single most talked about event of the year.”

A study by the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates the BB&T Atlanta Open economic impact on the city to exceed $10.3 million. The tournament is broadcast nationally on ESPN2 and Tennis Channel, as well as globally via several international broadcasters. American Mardy Fish, a top 10 ATP World Tour player, has won the last two Atlanta tournaments facing Isner in the final both times. The tournament has also featured collegiate players from Georgia, Georgia Tech and Georgia State.

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I spoke with Bob Bryant, Tournament Director of the BB&T Atlanta Open on my "The Tech of Sports" radio show in late April.  He talks about what it takes to put on an ATP-250 event and gives us a behind the scenes tour of what to expect this July.

Listen here:

http://netcaststudio.com/bob-bryant-tournament-director/

The New #1 American in Tennis

John Isner

Regardless of how he does today against Juan Monaco in Houston, John Isner will be ranked No. 9 in the world on monday morning and will replace Mardy Fish as the top-ranked American.

I can't say I saw this coming when John broke in a few years ago, but I'm happy for him and think he still has a tremendous upside.