The Rio Open presented by Claro has announced three more wildcards for the 11th edition of the biggest tennis tournament in South America, which will take place on February 15-23 at the Jockey Club Brasileiro.
After strong performances at the Rio Open, Felipe Meligeni Alves secured his spot in the main draw by receiving the last wild card. The player will attempt to repeat his performance from last year, when he got through the qualifying and reached the tournament’s second round.
"I would like to thank the Rio Open organization for the wild card, it is always a pleasure to play in this beautiful tournament, at home, with the people we love and with this wonderful crowd," said Meligeni, who joins João Fonseca, Thiago Monteiro, and Thiago Wild as the Brazilians secured in the main draw.
For the qualifying competition, Gustavo Heide, Brazil's No.5 player, and Karue Sell received the final wild cards from the organization and join João Lucas Reis, who is also secured in the qualifying after winning the Procopio Cup title.
Karue Sell will make his debut at the biggest tournament in South America. The athlete resumed his tennis career at 30 years old and shared his journey on his YouTube channel, which has over 150,000 subscribers. Last year, he won two Futures titles and had a strong campaign in the Challenger tour, reaching a career high of 258th in the ATP rankings. Currently, he is ranked 263rd and is the 6th best Brazilian in the world rankings. Sell also worked with Japanese player Naomi Osaka's coaching team, the former world No.1 and four-time Grand Slam champion.
"I'd like to thank the organization for the wild card in the qualifying. I’m really happy for this opportunity, it will be my first ATP 500, and there’s no better way to do it than at home, in Brazil. It will be a tournament I’ll remember for the rest of my life," said Sell.
There are still three wild cards available for the doubles competition: two for the main draw and one for the qualifying.
How to book tickets for qualifying
Entry to the qualifying matches will be free of charge. In order to book tickets, fans must register on February 12, starting at 11 a.m., at https://www.eventim.com.br/rioopenqualifying. The tickets are free, limited, and subject to availability, with a limit of two tickets per CPF (Brazilian social security number) per day.
The qualifying tournament grants four spots in the main singles draw of the Rio Open and one in the doubles draw. Matches will begin at 4 p.m., with gates opening at 3 p.m.
After strong performances at the Rio Open, Felipe Meligeni Alves secured his spot in the main draw by receiving the last wild card. The player will attempt to repeat his performance from last year, when he got through the qualifying and reached the tournament’s second round.
"I would like to thank the Rio Open organization for the wild card, it is always a pleasure to play in this beautiful tournament, at home, with the people we love and with this wonderful crowd," said Meligeni, who joins João Fonseca, Thiago Monteiro, and Thiago Wild as the Brazilians secured in the main draw.
For the qualifying competition, Gustavo Heide, Brazil's No.5 player, and Karue Sell received the final wild cards from the organization and join João Lucas Reis, who is also secured in the qualifying after winning the Procopio Cup title.
Karue Sell will make his debut at the biggest tournament in South America. The athlete resumed his tennis career at 30 years old and shared his journey on his YouTube channel, which has over 150,000 subscribers. Last year, he won two Futures titles and had a strong campaign in the Challenger tour, reaching a career high of 258th in the ATP rankings. Currently, he is ranked 263rd and is the 6th best Brazilian in the world rankings. Sell also worked with Japanese player Naomi Osaka's coaching team, the former world No.1 and four-time Grand Slam champion.
"I'd like to thank the organization for the wild card in the qualifying. I’m really happy for this opportunity, it will be my first ATP 500, and there’s no better way to do it than at home, in Brazil. It will be a tournament I’ll remember for the rest of my life," said Sell.
There are still three wild cards available for the doubles competition: two for the main draw and one for the qualifying.
How to book tickets for qualifying
Entry to the qualifying matches will be free of charge. In order to book tickets, fans must register on February 12, starting at 11 a.m., at https://www.eventim.com.br/rioopenqualifying. The tickets are free, limited, and subject to availability, with a limit of two tickets per CPF (Brazilian social security number) per day.
The qualifying tournament grants four spots in the main singles draw of the Rio Open and one in the doubles draw. Matches will begin at 4 p.m., with gates opening at 3 p.m.
