Tournament Preview: Moscow 8-16 October 2005

KREMLIN CUP 2005

Tennis heads to one of the most iconic Eastern European cities as the Kremlin Cup kicks off once again in Moscow, Russia. 
This indoor tournament which is run jointly with the ladies' Kremlin Cup plays host to a week of top tennis action. In 2004, 
Nikolay Davydenko triumphed in singles in his home country over Briton, Greg Rusedski, 3-6 6-3 7-5 and also teamed up with 
compatriot, Igor Andreev, to take the doubles title 3-6 6-3 6-4 over experienced doubles team, Mahesh Bhupathi and Jonas 
Björkman. This year, Davydenko returns and heads a list of players which also includes fellow 2005 French Open finalist, 
Mariano Puerta; world number 20, Dominik Hrbaty of the Slovak Republic; last year's finalist, Greg Rusedski; the talented 
Frenchman, Fabrice Santoro; and Gilles Muller of Luxembourg, who has beaten Andy Roddick and Rafael Nadal this year in 
Grand Slams. A notable omission this year is Russian world number 5 and reigning Australian Open champion, Marat Safin, who 
has had to withdraw due to a persisting knee injury, however, along with Davydenko, there will be several other Russians 
playing, namely Muscovite, Mikhail Youzhny, and Igor Andreev, doubles champion here last year and winner of 2 claycourt 
titles already this year. 

Davydenko is having one of this best years on the tour, winning the title at St. Pölten, reaching the semifinals of 
Barcelona, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Doha and, most importantly, the French Open. His current world ranking of 7 is a reflection 
of these achievements and he will definitely be hard to beat in his home country. However, the competition of the likes of 
Puerta, Hrbaty and Youzhny and many others will see him challenged the whole way.

Qualifying is run on Saturday 8, Sunday 9 October (both sessions starting at 10am) and finishing on Monday 10 October to 
coincide with the commencement of the main draw. Monday-Friday sessions begin at 11am, semifinals Saturday starts at 1pm 
and, on the final Sunday, the action gets under way at 1.30pm. The tournament is held at the Olympic Stadium which houses 6 
courts and has a seating capacity of 15000. The tournament is presented by Bank of Moscow and Ingosstrakh and the official 
hotel is the Sheraton Palace. Regular tickets range from 10-1800 roubles depending on date and the seating plan. For more 
detailed information, click here http://www.kremlincup.ru/ticket2005-ZR_www-eng.shtml. VIP and Premium tickets and packages 
are priced differently and you can find more information on both as well as information on any form of ticket purchase, 
by visiting the official tournament site http://www.kremlincup.ru. Moscow itself has plenty of things to offer the tourist 
with its rich culture and history. For more tourist information on the city and its attractions, try visiting 
http://www.moscowcity.com/ and enjoy the Russian tennis experience!

ATP Tournament Fast Facts:
Venue: Olympic Stadium, Moscow, Russia
Dates: 8-16 October 2005
Singles Qualifying: 32
Main Draw Singles: 32
Main Draw Doubles: 16
Surface: Indoor carpet
Prize money: USD $ 1 000 000
Tournament Director: Sergey Leonyuk

Main Draw Players:
Davydenko, Nikolay RUS  
Puerta, Mariano ARG  
Hrbaty, Dominik SVK  
Youzhny, Mikhail RUS  
Rusedski, Greg GBR 
Mirnyi, Max BLR  
Volandri, Filippo ITA  
Kiefer, Nicolas GER 
Pavel, Andrei ROM
Hanescu, Victor ROM  
Andreev, Igor RUS  
Carlsen, Kenneth  DEN
Goldstein, Paul USA  
Mayer, Florian GER  
Muller, Gilles LUX  
Llodra, Michael FRA  
Serra, Florent FRA  
Saulnier, Cyril FRA  
Santoro, Fabrice FRA 
Kohlschreiber, Philipp GER 
Hernych, Jan CZE  
Sabau, Razvan ROM  
Lapentti, Nicolas ECU 

Alternates:
Vik, Robin CZE 
Bracciali, Daniele ITA  
Garcia-Lopez, Guillermo ESP  
Behrend, Tomas GER 
Burgsmuller, Lars GER  
Clement, Arnaud FRA  
Popp, Alexander GER  
Vanek, Jiri CZE  
Dlouhy, Lukas CZE  
Karlovic, Ivo CRO  
Gimelstob, Justin USA  
Djokovic, Novak SCG  
Schuettler, Rainer GER  
Arthurs, Wayne AUS  

Doubles Direct Acceptances:
1. Michael Llodra (FRA) Fabrice Santoro (FRA)  
2. Mahesh Bhupathi (IND) Martin Damm (CZE) 
3. Frantisek Cermak (CZE) Leos Friedl (CZE) 
4. Dominik Hrbaty (SVK) Jaroslav Levinsky (CZE) 
5. Jordan Kerr (AUS) Travis Parrot (USA) 
6. Mariusz Fyrstenberg (POL) Marcin Matkowski (POL) 
7. Paul Goldstein (USA) Jim Thomas (USA)  
8. Jeff Coetzee (RSA) Rogier Wassen (NED)