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July 28, 2006
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TOP
AMERICAN JAMES BLAKE TO HEAD 2007
DELRAY BEACH DRAW
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Delray Beach, FL—James
Blake, the No. 5-ranked tennis player in the world and
currently the top-ranked American, has confirmed that he
will play in the 2007 Delray Beach International Tennis
Championships. The annual ATP event will be held Jan. 29 –
Feb. 4 at the Delray Beach Tennis Center & Stadium.
Blake, who recently
displaced Andy Roddick as the top American in the ATP
rankings, has enjoyed the best season of his pro career in
2006. He has put together a 37-15 singles record while
winning ATP titles in Sydney, Las Vegas and most recently
Indianapolis, where he defeated Roddick in the final a week
ago. He also was the runner-up at the Indian Wells and
Queens events.
“It’s (Delray Beach) going
to have a good field from what I hear,” said Blake, who
makes his home in Tampa. “Delray Beach is like playing a
home tournament since it’s only a couple of hours away. It
has been a fun event for me in the past because it was one
of my first ATP events and the first event where my brother
and I played doubles together.”
“We’re naturally excited to
have the top American committing to playing in our event,”
said tournament director Mark Baron. “James is
playing tennis at a level with the best in the world and we
will build our draw around him.”
Blake’s singles record is an
impressive 56-21 since catching fire in August of last
year. That run began with a ranking of No. 101 when he
reached the final in Washington against Roddick. He followed
with an ATP title in New Haven, a semifinal appearance in
the U.S. Open and another ATP title in Stockholm. That moved
his ranking to No. 25 at the close of 2005.
The 26-year-old Blake has
won six career ATP singles titles and another five doubles
titles since turning pro in 1999 after two seasons as an
All-American at Harvard. He is 11-6 in Davis Cup ties dating
back to 2001, and played singles in both 2006 U.S. ties.
The 2006 Delray Beach ITC
drew a record 51,247 fans, with top-seeded Andre Agassi highlighting arguably the best draw in its 14-year history.
Ticket packages to the 2007 event are now on sale and can be
purchased by calling 561-330-6000. The Reserved Series
package for all tournament sessions is $250 while the
Weekender package—including the quarterfinals, semifinals
and finals—is $200. Box seat packages range from $980 for
two seats to $2,200 for four seats.
For more
information on the 15th annual tournament and its ancillary
events, visit |
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