Tennis: Spaniard fifth top 20 player for tournament

David Ferrer of Spain. Picture / Reuters

David Ferrer was yesterday confirmed as the fifth player from the world's top 20 to accept an invitation to play at January's international tennis tournament in Auckland.

It is believed it will be the first time five such highly ranked players have played in Auckland. Spaniard Ferrer, ranked 15, is set to become the second seed behind defending Heineken Open champion Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) who, at 13, is the highest-ranked player on the entry list.

Other top-20 players already confirmed to play the tournament are American Robby Ginepri (17), Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero (18) and former winner Dominik Hrbaty (19) of Slovakia.

Ferrer, 23, began the year ranked 44th but climbed as high as 13 before slipping a couple of places in his best year on the ATP circuit since turning professional in 2000.

He reached the French Open quarter-finals after beating defending champion Gaston Gaudio in a gruelling five-set, fourth-round match. He bowed out in the next round to eventual winner, fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal.

Ferrer, who has one ATP title - Bucharest in 2002 - to his credit, will be making his second appearance at the Open. In 2003 he reached the quarter-finals after beating Gonzalez in the second round but was put out by Hrbaty who went on to win the title.

In April this year Ferrer made the final of the Valencia Open, where he was beaten by Ivor Andreev.

In a good run at the Masters Series in Miami in March-April, Ferrer beat David Nalbandian, Ferrero and Hrbaty in successive matches before losing to Nadal in the semifinals.

He also reached the semifinals at the Masters Series in Rome and in the Vina del Mar and New Haven tournaments.

"David Ferrer has had a good year and his appearance in the Sovereign singles will make it incredibly strong," said Open director Graham Pearce.

"With what he has achieved, including his quarter-final at Roland Garros, he will be a real challenger for the Heineken Open title."

Other players already confirmed include wildcards Mark Philippoussis and Mark Nielsen and rising British star Andy Murray.

Pearce is in Shanghai for the season-ending Masters Cup and is expected to talk to players and agents in a further effort to boost what is already a very strong field.

The first two rounds of the open's qualifying tournament will be played on January 7-8 at Albany followed by the tournament proper.

* Men's Open January 9-14, ASB Bank Tennis Centre, Auckland