http://www.swedishopen.org
July 5, 2024
Two of the most "in form players" during the spring are leading the field of the 2003 Synsam Swedish Open tournament. This year�s champions of the major events in Rome and Hamburg will be playing in Bastad 5-13 July.
When the entry deadline expired on 28 May, the organizers could confirm that the champion of the TMS event in Rome, Felix Mantilla, was ranked; 9 on the ATP Champions Race and that the champion of the TMS event in Hamburg, the improving Argentinean Guillermo Coria, holds the fifth place.
- Besides these two top players the field includes last year�s champion Carlos Moya as well as Agustin Calleri, who are both ranked in the top ten. The young rising star, Rafael Nadal, will be here and we are also proud to welcome the most recent Swedish Grand Slam champion, Thomas Johansson, says a satisfied tournament director Thomas Wall�n.
Coria is now ranked third on the Race after an impressive clay court season. The young Argentinean captured the title in Hamburg and finished runner-up at Monte Carlo and in Buenos Aires, and then reached the semifinals at Roland Garros. In the round of last 16 at Roland Garros, Coria won a dog-fight against compatriot Mariano Zabaleta in what was regarded as one of the best matches of the tournament. Zabaleta will also be in Bastad. The third Argentinean to watch out for is Agustin Calleri, who returns after
reaching the semifinal last year. He won his first ATP-title in Acapulco in February 2003, which was followed up by a runner up effort in Hamburg.
Another amazing player is Tommy Robredo who reached the semifinals in Bastad last year. At this year�s tournament at Roland Garros, he pulled off two great upsets as he defeated world number one Lleyton Hewitt and three time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten, before losing to Albert Costa in the quarterfinals. As a matter of fact, half the draw in Bastad will have Spanish as their first language.
Rafael Nadal has only played ten matches on the ATP level. But he has already beaten two former Roland Garros champions! In April 2003, he became the first 16 year old to crack the top 100 since Michael Chang in 1988. During the past 12 months, he has moved up more than 600 spots on the world rankings.
Thomas Johansson is making his comeback in Bastad after a knee-operation in November 2002. Other Swedish players in the field are: doubles specialist Jonas Bj�rkman, former Swedish Open Champion Magnus Norman and two time B�stad finalist Andreas Vinciguerra.
*Thanks for the article, Anne. Please do not copy or use on other sites without credit to the original source and VamosRafael.com. Thank you!*
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