FORMER CHAMPION TOMMY HAAS ACCCEPTS FINAL WILD CARD

HOUSTON, TEXAS (April 3, 2009) Tommy Haas, the 2004 US Men’s Clay Court Championship winner, has accepted the final wild card for the 2009 event that begins Monday at River Oaks Country Club. Haas joins Americans Taylor Dent and John Isner as the wild card entrants into the 32-player draw.

Haas is fourth among active players for both match wins and winning percentage at the US Men’s Clay Court Championship, having a 13-5 record and a .722 winning percentage. He will be making his seventh appearance at the event in Houston, with his best result coming in 2004 when he beat Andy Roddick for the title. Haas, who has been ranked as high as No. 2, owns 11 career titles.

“Adding a third former champion to our field is a great bonus, especially so close to the start of the event,” said Tournament Director Van Barry. “We couldn’t be happier with the depth of the field that will be playing at River Oaks this year. Top to bottom it should be a great draw, and there are some very dangerous floaters in the field who could cause trouble for the seeds right away.”

With the addition of Haas to the field, the 28 direct acceptances for the 2009 US Men’s Clay Court Championship are set (four more players will be added by way of the qualifying tournament that begins Saturday at River Oaks).

The seeds are also now set for the tournament, with Americans holding down the top seeds – two-time River Oaks International champion James Blake and 2005 USMCC champion Mardy Fish. Other seeds include former Clay Court finalist Jurgen Melzer, defending champion Marcel Granollers and American Sam Querrey.

Haas is one of several notable unseeded players in this year’s draw, including former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewiit, former finalist Guillermo Canas and 2008 semifinalist Wayne Odesnik.

The No. 1 doubles team in the world, Bob and Mike Bryan, will headline the doubles event at this year’s US Men’s Clay Court Championship at River Oaks Country Club from April 6-12.

Any patron holding tickets for any session during the tournament who is unable to use them is encouraged to return those tickets before the session begins to the River Oaks ticket office so they can be resold to benefit the Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund. River Oaks will resell those tickets at face value with the entire proceeds then being donated to the Greater Houston Community Foundation’s hurricane recovery effort.