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The latest edition of the Sofia Open will offer the Bulgarian fan many stars of world tennis. A few minutes ago, the tournament organizers published the list of players who will participate in the competition at “Arena Armeec” between November 8 and 14. Among the tennis players arriving in the capital are seven representatives of the top 20, three finalists in Grand Slam tournaments and one former champion or a total of 18 from the Top 35 of the world.
At the moment, the participation of Grigor Dimitrov has not been confirmed, but he will be kept a “wild card” until the last moment.
The race will be broadcast live on DIEMA XTRA channels.
Roland Garros semi-finalist Diego Schwartzman, last year’s participant Gael Monfis, 2016 champion Roberto Bautista Agut, 2017 US Open and 2018 Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson, US Open semi-finalist Pablo Cabreno Fonini, Karen Khachanov, finalist Wimbledon 2016 Milos Raonic, Felix Auger-Aliasim, 2014 US Open finalist Kay Nishikori, Dusan Lajovic, Casper Ruud, Borna Choric, Taylor Fritz, Alex de Janor-Minor, Fili Filli and Nikoloz Basilashvili are among those confirmed.
The last two players to enter the Sofia Open main draw will be determined by November 6. As the Sofia tournament was preceded by the Paris Masters, according to the ATP rules, the competition of a lower category is obliged to provide two of the so-called special exemptions. This means that if a tennis player accepted to play in the Arena Armeec qualifiers reaches the semi-finals in Paris, they will enter the Sofia main draw for not being able to participate in transplants. If this is not the case, both seats will be assigned to the players on the waiting list in Sofia. It is currently headed by Guido Pela (Arge), followed by Hugo Humber (FR), Adrian Manarino (FR), Marin Cilic (Herr) and others.
“It is a great prestige for Sofia, not only to be the only one in the Balkans, but also to be among the few cities in the world as a whole, to host a prestigious ATP tournament in the 250 category. The fifth edition of the Sofia Open will be the strongest until now. As a licensee, Brandplus’s primary goal in hosting this tournament is not only to bring world-class tennis players to Sofia every year, but also to finally establish the Sofia Open among the best tournaments in the ATP 250 category. We are proud of the This year’s list of participants: one tennis player from the Top 10, seven from the Top 20 and 15 from the Top 30 of the world ranking guarantee that the eyes of the whole world will be on Sofia thanks to television broadcasts and media coverage. And finally But not least: it is quite possible that the results of the tournament in Sofia will determine the last participants in the final ATP tournament for 2020 in London.
At the moment we are in constant communication with Grigor Dimitrov and the people at his headquarters. As you know, he signed a contract to participate in the Sofia Open for the original dates in late September and early October. We hope that Grigor, who undoubtedly loves Bulgaria, will play in the rescheduled Sofia Open and accept a “wild card”, which we keep especially for him. As for the other two ‘wild cards’, many of the best tennis players are interested in them and the decision on who they will be given to will be announced in the coming weeks, “said Kay Godhindi, CEO of Brandplus and Sofia Open.
“The list of participants is phenomenal! I am proud that our beautiful capital, Sofia, is once again hosting such a prestigious international tennis event. Despite the uncertainty, the team that organized the Sofia Open decided to go ahead, because we are responsible against Sofia, Bulgaria, all the fans, the players and the wonderful sport of tennis, on behalf of the youngsters! Although it was a great challenge and very difficult, it was the right decision.
We hope that the health situation will remain stable and we will have the opportunity to enjoy great tennis and television broadcasts, which will show the Sofia and the Sofia Open around the world. Our beautiful Bulgaria and the people here deserve our beautiful country to be seen in a positive light and the unique history of Bulgaria, and the rich cultural heritage to be shared with the whole world, “said the president of the Bulgarian Tennis Federation, Stefan Tsvetkov.
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