The Apis Canberra International will feature the strongest men\u2019s field the capital has ever seen, led by world No.57 Ugo Humbert (FRA).\u00a0 Eight top 100 players will compete\u00a0 from 6-12 January in the ATP Challenger 125 event with over USD$160,000 in prizemoney on offer.<\/p>\n
Humbert will be the highest ranked male to ever compete in Canberra coming into the event after a breakthrough year which saw him post top 15 victories over David Goffin (BEL) and Gael Mofiles (FRA), along with making the 4th<\/sup> round of Wimbledon.<\/p>\n Former world No.19, Hyeon Chung (KOR) will make his debut in Canberra after missing much of 2018 due to back and leg injuries.\u00a0 Chung became a fan favourite with his dream run to the semifinals of Australian Open 2018, defeating Novak Djokovic (SRB) and Alexander Zverev (GER) on his way.<\/p>\n Winner of eight ATP Titles and boasting a career high world ranking of No.16 Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) will also compete in Canberra for the first time.\u00a0 Kohlschreiber caused one of the biggest upsets of 2019 when he defeated world No.1 Djokovic in the third round of Indian Wells and has ended the year in the top 100 for the past 16 years.<\/p>\n Former Canberra champions Andreas Seppi (ITA) and Dudi Sela (ISR) will return to the Canberra Tennis Centre, along with former finalists Taro Daniel (JPN) and Ilya Ivashka (BLR).\u00a0 Seppi is the second highest ranked player behind Humbert at No.72 and holds the famous win over Roger Federer (SUI) at Australian Open 2015.\u00a0 Reaching a career high no. 18 he will be a formidable force once more.<\/p>\n Rising star, Jannick Sinner (ITA) is touted as a future top 10 player and will be looking to build on his strong end to 2019, which saw him defeat Australia\u2019s Alex de Minaur to win the Next Gen Finals in Milan.<\/p>\n Top 100 players Steve Johnson (USA), Jaume Munar (ESP), Soonwoo Kwon (KOR), and Dominik Koepfer (GER) will also line up for the event.\u00a0\u00a0 It will be former world No.21 Johnson\u2019s first appearance in Canberra.<\/p>\n The Australian contingent will be led by Marc Polmans (Vic), Andrew Harris (Vic) and Alex Bolt (SA).\u00a0 At world No.171 Filip Horansky (SVK) is the last direct acceptance in to the main draw.<\/p>\n Tennis ACT CEO and Apis Canberra International Tournament Director, Kim Kachel, is ecstatic about the quality of players starting their year in Canberra.<\/p>\n \u201cOur events in January have always attracted a number of players in the world\u2019s top 100, but it\u2019s the calibre and depth of this year\u2019s field which sets it apart.\u00a0 There are players who would have been seeded at previous events in Canberra who are not going to get into the main draw this year.<\/p>\n \u201cThere will be marquee matches from the first round and with the addition of night sessions on Monday, Tuesday and Friday the fans will have a tennis feast.\u00a0\u00a0 With a chill out zone and a number of upgrades to the Canberra Tennis Centre it will be the perfect atmosphere\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a great mix of seasoned elite players such as Kohlschreiber, Seppi, and Johnson, combined with some of the most exciting young talent on the ATP tour in Sinner, Humbert and Chung.\u00a0 We\u2019re encouraging everyone to secure their ticket to witness world class tennis in a unique intimate environment,\u201d Kachel added.<\/p>\n