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Dominic Thiem at the 2020 Australian Open

Argentina Open 2020 preview


Australian Open finalist Dominic Thiem will be competing at the second clay court event of the season, the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires. The tournament takes place from February 10th – February 16th and will see clay court specialists continue to make their preparations for Roland Garros at the end of May.

 

From 2009 to 2015, the honours board at the Argentina Open was dominated by Spaniards. David Ferrer won it three times in a row from 2012-2014. Even the King of Clay himself, Rafael Nadal, had graced the courts a on few occasions, winning in 2015 and losing to Thiem in the semi-final in 2016. In the 1970’s, Argentine legend Guillermo Vilas won the event six years in a row and has the highest number of titles with eight.

2019 champion, Marco Cecchinato, saw his ranking plummet last year. A former top 20 player, the Italian now finds himself ranked outside the top 70 due to a string of bad results. At last year’s event, Cecchinato cruised to the title, without dropping a set. He beat Argentine favourite Diego Schwartzman in the final.

 

 

At the tournament this year, Thiem, who is fresh off the back of his third Grand Slam final, is the top seed. The Austrian has won the tournament in Buenos Aires twice before, in 2016 and 2018. He lost in a third set tiebreak to Schwartzman last year. Also in the draw is 2019 US Open semi-finalist Matteo Berrettini. He is the second seed and enjoyed a breakout year in 2019, reaching a career high ranking of eight, qualifying for the ATP Finals and winning the most improved player of the year award.

 

Matteo Berrettini makes Nitto finals history

 

Where is the tournament held?

The Argentina Open 2020 is the 23rd edition of the event and is played at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club.

 

What dates does the tournament run?

February 10th – February 16th 2020.

 

What court surface is the tournament played on?

The tournament is played on outdoor clay courts. The main stadium court, Horacio Billoch Caride Stadium, has a capacity of 5,500 spectators and is named after former club president Horacio Billoch Caride.

 

How many players and how many seeds are in the tournament?

There are a total of 28 players and eight seeds in the singles.

 

What is the prize money and how many ATP ranking points are available?

Prize money, Singles:

Winner – $102,535

Finalist – $56,760

Semi-finalist – $31,950

Quarter-finalist- $18,180

Second round – $10,435

First round – $6,100

 

Ranking points, Singles:

Winner – 250 points

Finalist – 150 points

Semi-finalist – 90 points

Quarter-finalist – 45 points

Second round – 20 points

First round – Zero points

 

Who are the reigning Champions?

Men’s singles – Marco Cecchinato

Men’s doubles – Máximo González and Horacio Zeballos

 

Where can I buy tickets for the tournament?

Ticket can be bought here.

 

How can I follow the tournament without going there?

You can watch the event on Tennis TV.

You can also follow this tournament on their official Twitter here.


Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.