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Former winner Jarkko Nieminen of Finland has been confirmed as the seventh top-30 ranked tennis player to enter January's Heineken Open.
The world No 27 won last year, playing superb tennis all week. He was down and out in the semifinals against Olivier Rochus but won in three dramatic sets and then accounted for Mario Ancic in straight sets in the final.
The victory was a welcome relief for Nieminen after being a beaten finalist five times on the ATP tour.
The tall left-hander reached a career-high ranking of 13 in July last year and has been a Grand Slam quarter-finalist twice.
"Jarkko has been a great supporter of our tournament and being a past champion it will be a pleasure to welcome him back to the Heineken Open," said tournament director Graham Pearce.
