MIAMI – The Miami Open presented by Itaú today announced several wildcard entries for the 2017 tournament to be held March 20-April 2 in Key Biscayne at the Crandon Park Tennis Center. Five men and eight women received entries into the singles main draw including fellow Americans Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Nicole Gibbs and Michael Mmoh.
Tickets are on sale now. With Packages starting at just $136 and individual sessions starting at $24, the Miami Open will be the center of the tennis world. More than just action on the purple courts, fans can enjoy an array of exquisite food options, live music, shopping and much more. For more information go to www.miamiopen.com or call the Miami Open Ticket Office at 305-442-3367.
On the women’s side, eight main draw wildcard entries were awarded, highlighted by Americans Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Nicole Gibbs. Mattek-Sands is the defending Miami Open doubles champion, having claimed the top prize with Lucie Safarova. This year marks the American’s eighth main draw singles appearance. Gibbs, who is coming off of her second Top-100, and a career-best World No. 76 ranking, is looking to build on 2016 where she won her way through qualifying in seven WTA events. Gibbs advanced to the Round of 32, in Miami, before falling to current World No. 7 Gabriñe Muguruza.
Mattek-Sands and Gibbs will be joined by 15-year old Amanda Anisimova and a group of 20-year olds in Ashleigh Barty, Natalia Vikhlyantseva, Beatriz Haddad Maia and Paula Badosa. Barty first gained media attraction in 2013 by reaching the doubles final at the Australian Open.
Ajla Tomljanovic rounds out the eight singles main draw wildcards announced.
On the men’s side, American Michael Mmoh, along with Mikael Ymer, Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud and Thomas Bellucci round out the five singles main draw wildcards.
Ymer, the young 18-year old out of Sweden, will make his Miami Open debut while Mmoh, Norway’s Ruud; Rublev from Russia; and the Brazilian Bellucci look to advance to the later rounds in this year’s tournament.
The Miami Open also awarded five men’s qualifying wildcards and four women’s qualifying wildcards. On the men’s side Elias Ymer, Miomir Keckmonvic, Yibling Wu, Nicola Kuhn and Vasil Kirkov have been selected into the qualifying draw; while Anastasia Potpova, Kayla Day, Sofya Zhuk and Urszula Radwanska were issued wildcards into the women’s qualifying draw.
Men’s Main Draw Wildcards:
Name
Country
Age
Rank
Mikael Ymer
Sweden
18
497
Michael Mmoh
USA
19
85
Andrey Rublev
Russia
19
134
Casper Ruud
Norway
18
128
Thomaz Bellucci
Brazil
29
71
Women’s Main Draw Wildcards:
Name
Country
Age
Rank
Ashleigh Barty
Australia
20
92
Bethanie Mattek-Sands
USA
31
160
Amanda Anisimova
USA
15
717
Natalia Vikhlyantseva
Russia
20
78
Ajla Tomljanovic
Croatia
23
664
Beatriz Haddad Maia
Brazil
20
180
Nicole Gibbs
USA
24
94
Paula Badosa
Spain
19
323
Men’s Qualifying Wildcard:
Name
Country
Age
Rank
Elias Ymer
Sweden
20
158
Miomir Kecmanovic
Serbia
17
651
Yibing Wu
China
17
947
Nicola Kuhn
Spain
16
718
Vasil Kirkov
USA
17
1055
Women’s Qualifying Wildcard:
Name
Country
Age
Rank
Anastasia Potapova
Russia
15
850
Kayla Day
USA
17
175
Sofya Zhuk
Russia
17
266
Urszula Radwanska
Poland
26
319
About the Miami Open presented by Itaú
The 2017 Miami Open will be played March 20-April 2 at the Crandon Park Tennis Center in Miami. The two-week combined event is owned and operated by IMG. The Miami Open is one of nine ATP Masters 1000 Series events on the ATP calendar, a Premier Mandatory event on the WTA calendar, and features the top men’s and women’s tennis players in the world. The tournament is widely regarded as the most glamorous on the ATP and WTA calendars because of its exotic Miami location, thriving nightlife, five-star hotels and restaurants, beautiful weather and beaches, and its celebrity appeal. For ticket information, call +1.305.442.3367 or visit www.miamiopen.com.
About Itaú
Itau is the largest Latin America privately owned bank, with approximately 94,000 employees and operations in 19 countries throughout the Americas, Asia and Europe. Itaú’s relationship with sport goes back to the 1970s, when Itaú first sponsored the Itaú Tennis Cup in Brazil in 1970. Itaú has been a sponsor of the Miami Open for the last six years, and also sponsors the Rio Open, the only combined ATP/WTA event in South America. Itaú also supports the Brazilian Women’s Tennis Circuit, only female professional tournament in South America, certified by the Brazilian Tennis Confederation (CBT) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), as well as the Tennis Institute Training Center, responsible for the development of young, new talent.
About IMG
IMG is a global leader in sports, events, media and fashion, operating in more than 30 countries. The company represents and manages some of the world’s greatest sports figures and fashion icons; stages hundreds of live events and branded entertainment experiences annually; and is one of the largest independent producers and distributors of sports media. IMG also specializes in sports training; league development; and marketing, media and licensing for brands, sports organizations and collegiate institutions. In 2014, IMG was acquired by WME, a leading global entertainment agency.
