Young Guns to Challenge Established Stars as Stella Artois Entry List is Announced
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© Getty ImagesMario Ancic will be looking for his first grass
court title at the Stella Artois Championships.
Some of the most exciting young tennis players in the world
will take on the sport's biggest stars at the Stella Artois
Championships after the official 2005 entry list was announced.
Croatian Mario Ancic - a Wimbledon semi-finalist last year,
and 18-year-old French sensation Richard Gasquet will challenge
defending champion Andy Roddick, three-time winner Lleyton
Hewitt and Britain's Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski when the
action gets underway at The Queen's Club in London, 6-12
June, 2005.
Gasquet, who many believe possesses the ability to be a
future World No.1, became only the second player in eight
months to defeat Roger Federer when the pair clashed in
Monte Carlo two weeks ago. The Frenchman went on to reach
the semi-finals, and now looks set to fulfill his massive
potential.
Ancic has been knocking on the door of the grass-court elite
for a while with victories over Federer and Henman at Wimbledon,
and it is surely only a matter of time before he emulates
his countryman Goran Ivanisevic by reaching the finals of
the Stella Artois Championships and Wimbledon.
They will be joined by 19-year-old Czech Tomas Berdych,
who beat Federer at the Olympic Games last year, Igor Andreev
- Andre Agassi's conqueror at the 2004 Stella Artois Championships
- and a former junior World No.1, Marcos Baghdatis, 19,
of Cyprus.
"It's a sparkling field," said Tournament Director
Ian Wight.
"Lleyton, Andy and Tim are joined by an outstanding
crop of young European players headed by 2004 Wimbledon
semi finalist Mario Ancic and Richard Gasquet, who seemed
to come of age with his performances in Monte Carlo."
The Stella Artois Championships will feature more top-ranked
tennis players than ever before, including the runner-up
to Roddick over the past two years - Sebastien Grosjean,
Thai Paradorn Srichaphan and big-hitting Chilean Fernando
Gonzalez.
For the first time since the inception of the event in 1979,
every direct acceptance into the main singles draw is ranked
inside the world's top 100.
The last direct entrant is No.94 Agustin Calleri of Argentina.
Previously, the highest ranked player to gain the last direct
acceptance into the draw was Julian Knowle, then ranked
No.102, in 2002.
Final's day at the 2005 Stella Artois Championships will
feature a special challenge match between John McEnroe and
Boris Becker to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Becker's
big breakthrough. It will be the first time that they have
ever played each other on a grass court.
For full entry list, click here!