2008 Clay Court Championships set for action
Posted on Apr 14, 2008 under Blogroll |The 2008 Clay Court Championships will start today in Houston Texas, at their new home – the River Oaks Country Club in Houston. The week long tournament will see eight of the top ranked players in the world in action, with American James Blake, ranked 8th in the world, the number one seed for the tournament.
The qualifying draw for the 2008 Clay Court Championships was shortened by a lack of players. The tournament play off stage is structured to allow 32 players to participate, but by Friday had drawn only 14 entrants, allowing the top ranked entries relatively easy qualification for the tournament proper.
Some have blamed the absence of top flight players at this years Clay Court Championships on the schedule for the 2008 Davis Cup quarterfinals which saw 32 of the top players in the world in action over the weekend.
With many of these players required to travel huge distances to make the 2008 Clay Court Championships it is easy to see why the majority made the decision to bypass the tournament.
The first round highlight of the 2008 Clay Court Championships is likely to be the encounter between 1st seed James Blake and Japanese youngster Kei Nishikori. Blake will be looking to avenge his defeat to Nishikori in the final of the Delray Beach Open in Florida earlier this year.
