The Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com announced the singles qualifying field for its ATP 250 event and that two-time singles champion Ernests Gulbis has received a wildcard into the Feb. 15-16, 2020, 16-player draw.
Capturing his first singles title in Delray Beach in 2010 (defeating Ivo Karlovic), No. 256 Gulbis won his second title in 2013 after advancing through the qualifying rounds and defeating James Blake, Tommy Haas and Sam Querrey en route to the finals. In addition, Gulbis has won four other ATP titles and reached a career-high ranking of No. 10 in June 2014 after defeating Roger Federer in five sets to advance to the semifinals of Roland Garros.
“Our fans love the brand of tennis and character Ernests brings to the courts and to the event,” said Tournament Director, Mark Baron. “He’s always been recognized for his outrageous ability and athleticism and for him to have put it all together here, twice, we’re proud of that. We’d love to see his name on the trophy again.”
In addition to Gulbis, up-and-coming ATP player Cameron Norrie ranked No. 62 is leading the field of singles qualifiers in Delray Beach who will be competing for one of the four main draw spots available. Reaching a career-high ranking of No. 41 in 2019, Norrie boasts wins over John Isner and Nick Kyrgios.
Delray Beach’s complete qualifying acceptance list includes the following players: Alex Bolt (AUS), Marius Copil (ROU), Taro Daniel (JPN), Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP), Marcos Giron (USA), Emilio Gomez (ECU), Denis Istomin (UZB), Jason Jung (TPE), Mitchell Krueger (USA), Henri Laaksonen (SUI), Paolo Lorenzi (ITA), Cameron Norrie (GBR), Danilo Petrovic (SRB), and Bernard Tomic (AUS). The tournament still holds two wildcards and two special exempts that will round out the 32-player ATP 250 main event.
The 10-day tournament will begin over President’s Day weekend (Friday, Feb. 14 – Sunday, Feb. 16) with the ATP Champions Tour team event and a special exhibition match starring Delray Beach’s own Coco Gauff. The Team Europe vs. Team World match-up will showcase tennis legends David Ferrer, James Blake, Tommy Haas, Marcos Baghdatis and other fan-favorites. On Monday, Feb. 17, the game’s reigning stars will take center court for the ATP 250 matches; Bob and Mike Bryan, the winningest team of all-time, will make their final Tour appearance in Delray Beach on Wednesday, Feb. 19; and the event will conclude with the ATP 250 finals on Sunday, Feb. 23.
For more information or to purchase tickets, go to www.YellowTennisBall.com.
