Tournament Preview: Las Vegas 27 Feb - 5 Mar 2006 TENNIS CHANNEL OPEN 2006 It's finally here, the much anticipated inaugural men's tennis event in Las Vegas, and it kicks off with a bang featuring some of the best players in the business. The list is headed by former world number 1 and dual Grand Slam champion, Lleyton Hewitt of Australia. Despite having had a trying time of late in his home country, he will be looking to put those troubles behind him and back up his San Jose finals appearance with a solid performance in Vegas. Looking to improve his recent form is American, Robby Ginepri. A semifinalist at last year's US Open, Ginepri has rapidly risen up the rankings and is hoping to improve further on this in 2006. Tommy Robredo is one of the few Spaniards to have decided to forego the South American clay court swing in order to develop his hard court game. He reached the 4th round of this year's Australian Open, and has done the same on several occasions at the US Open too, so he is no stranger to this surface and has good chances at this year's tournament if he can play well. Rising French star, Gaël Monfils, will also be making his way to Las Vegas, as will US residents, Xavier Malisse of Belgium and Tommy Haas of Germany. Nevada crowds will also be able to get a load of Scottish teen sensation, Andy Murray. A finalist in Bangkok last year, he recently won his first ATP tour title in San José, defeating Andy Roddick in the semis and Lleyton Hewitt in the final. He has well and truly arrived and we can expect to see much more of him in years to come. Swedish darkhorse, Robin Söderling, is making his comeback to the circuit after an injury layoff and has displayed some great form so far in the American indoor tournaments. He will be hoping to continue this in Memphis. The tournament was previously held in Scottsdale and last year's final saw Australian Wayne Arthurs win his first career title at the age of 33 over number 3 seed, Mario Ancic. The introduction of a new tournament is always an exciting challenge, but if any city is able to take it on, it is Las Vegas. Qualifying for the event runs on Saturday February 25 and Sunday February 26 and entry is free. The main draw will be made on site on Saturday 25 February at 5pm. Daily play from Monday to Friday begins at 10am, with the evening session starting at 6pm. Semifinals Saturday starts at 1pm and also has a 6pm session, while Sunday's final begins at 1pm. Individual tickets cost around $40, however there are various discounts and packages available. For more information, visit the official site. They may be purchased online from there, by calling 1-888-TCO-TIXS (1-888-826-8497) or in person from an outlet in Las Vegas, such as Station Casinos, Fiesta Properties and Galleria Mall. The tournament will be held at The Amanda & Stacy Darling Memorial Tennis Center on W. Washington Avenue. The official site has explicit directions on how to get to the venue, whether you're coming from the airport or from The Strip. The official hotel and casino for the event is the MGM Mirage. Las Vegas as a city hardly needs an introduction. It is the home of nightlife, gambling and fun with a plethora of things to do for people of all ages and budgets, whether it's having a cocktail by the pool, hitting the casinos, shopping til you drop or heading further afield to explore the Grand Canyon. As the organisers have already stated, the Tennis Channel Open will be more than just an ATP event, it will be Tennispalooza! Tournament Fast Facts: Venue: The Amanda & Stacy Darling Memorial Tennis Center, Las Vegas, USA Dates: 25 February - 5 March 2006 Singles Qualifying draw: 32 Main Draw Singles: 32 Main Draw Doubles: 16 Surface: Hard Prize money: US$355 000 Tournament Director: Steve Bellamy Main Draw Entry List: Hewitt, Lleyton AUS Ginepri, Robby USA Robredo, Tommy ESP Blake, James USA Kiefer, Nicolas GER Monfils, Gael FRA Verdasco, Fernando ESP Mirnyi, Max BLR Hanescu, Victor ROM Malisse, Xavier BEL Haas, Tommy GER Sanguinetti, Davide ITA Srichaphan, Paradorn THA Tursunov, Dmitry RUS Murray, Andy GBR Carlsen, Kenneth DEN Bjorkman, Jonas SWE Karlovic, Ivo CRO Goldstein, Paul USA Mayer, Florian GER Zib, Tomas CZE Muller, Gilles LUX Spadea, Vincent USA Söderling, Robin SWE Alternates: Kohlschreiber, Philipp GER Vliegen, Kristof BEL Saulnier, Cyril FRA Hernych, Jan CZE Phau, Bjorn GER Reynolds, Bobby USA Ascione, Thierry FRA Wang, Yeu-Tzuoo TPE Arthurs, Wayne AUS Minar, Ivo CZE