Sarasota Open boasts deepest field ever

LAKEWOOD RANCH -- The list of past winners at the Sarasota Open reads as a group of players who were once regarded as rising stars and have muscled their way into the mainstream.

Two years ago, Nick Kyrgios was a champion. Now he's a top-20 player in the world and has been to a pair of Grand Slam quarterfinals.

In 2010, Kei Nishikori was the champion. Four years later, he reached the final at the U.S. Open and is ranked No. 6.

Even last year's champion, Argentinian Federico Delbonis, made waves at the 2016 BNP Paribas Open Saturday night when he upset Andy Murray.

"We have a good history here," tournament director Tony Driscoll said.

When the main draw begins Monday at 11 a.m., Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country will host perhaps the deepest field in the Sarasota Open's eight-year history. Seven of the eight seeded players at the Open are ranked in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) top 150 and the eighth was in the top 150 last year.

The Nos. 1 and 2 seeds are both top-100 players and two others were ranked in the top 100 at one point.

"It's one of the deepest draws ever," Driscoll said. "Even the qualifiers. The cutoff was 200 in the world.

"That's the lowest cutoff we've had and that's typical even on the ATP."

Two days of qualifying concluded Sunday, and Driscoll said even those were deep enough to provide excitement before the main draw began and perhaps produce a player who can make a run through the week.

Matches in the main draw will be played all week with the championship being held Sunday. The smaller women's tournament begins Friday and also concludes Sunday.

The most intrigue, however, lies on the edge of the ranking and into the unseed

ed players. Jared Donaldson, the No. 8 seed, is a 19-year-old American regarded as one of the top young players in the world. He'll open his tournament against Argentina's Nicolas Kicker.

Frances Tiafoe, an unseeded American from Maryland, is ranked 10 spots below Donaldson and headlines the field's depth. The 18-year-old turned pro a year ago, and he played in the first round at both the French Open and U.S. Open in 2015. He opens against fellow American Tim Smyczek, the 28-year-old No. 5 seed.

"We have some of the top 20- to 30-year-old Americans," Driscoll said. "They're all young."

The top player in the field is also an American: 23-year-old Denis Kudla earned the No. 1 seed with his No. 59 ATP ranking. Sixth-seeded Bjorn Fratangelo is the other seeded American in the field.

Kudla is one of the few in the field to reach the heights Ryan Harrison once did. The unseeded American from Louisiana is outside the top 200. Four years ago, he was ranked No. 60 as a teenager.

The 23-year-old IMG Academy alumnus has a chance to begin a renaissance in a familiar place.

"Ryan Harrison's always dangerous in there. Proven player," Driscoll said. "A lot of top players get to sleep in their own beds."

David Wilson, Herald sports writer, can be contacted at 941-745-7057 or on Twitter @DBWilson2.

This story was originally published April 10, 2016 at 10:25 PM with the headline "Sarasota Open boasts deepest field ever ."