‘Survivor’ tournament offers chance to qualify for Delray Beach Open
Oct 13, 2023
For tennis players who think they have what it takes to play pro tennis, now is their chance to prove it. The Delray Beach Open, an ATP 250 tournament, offers a chance for one player to earn a wild card in the tournament’s qualifying draw by winning a “Survivor” tournament.
Up-and-coming junior players, college players, aspiring pro players, and club champions can compete for a chance to play in the big leagues of pro tennis. The Survivor event is scheduled for Nov. 11-13 at the Pro World Tennis Academy in Delray Beach.
Online registration for the event must be completed before 6 p.m. ET on Nov. 8. All participants will also receive a complimentary ticket to a session (TBA) of the 2024 Delray Beach Open.
The Survivor winner will earn a wild card spot into the 2024 Delray Beach Open qualifying draw Feb. 10-11 at the Delray Beach Stadium & Tennis Center. Out of the 16-player draw, four will advance to the tournament’s main draw played Feb. 12-18.
At the 2023 tournament Matija Pecotic, a last-minute alternate into the qualifying, won two matches to reach his first ATP Tour main draw as a 33-year-old with a full-time office job, and then upset former champion Jack Sock for his first ATP Tour match win.
Above: Qualifier Matija Pecotic at last year's Delray Beach Open.
Since 2002, the Delray Beach Open has offered the Survivor qualifying wild card. American Stefan Kozlov was the most recent Survivor winner to reach the main draw in 2020. Continuing on that success, he reached the quarterfinals in 2022.
Qualifiers have a history of success at the Delray Beach Open. There have been three winners who first came through qualifying – Ernests Gulbis (2013), Kei Nishikori (2008) and Andrew Ilie (1998). On four other occasions, a qualifier finished as the runner-up.
Series and individual tickets for the 2024 Delray Beach Open are on sale now at www.DelrayBeachOpen.com or by phone at 561-330-6000. The 10-day tournament begins with an ATP Champions Tour event opening weekend Feb. 9-11 featuring a field of the game’s legends along with the qualifying-round matches on Feb. 10-11. Singles and doubles main draw action for the ATP 250 event starts Monday, Feb. 12 and concludes with the finals on Sunday, Feb. 18.
The Delray Beach Open will celebrate its 32nd overall event in 2024. The event draws over 60,000 fans in addition to reaching television audiences in more than 100 countries over the course of 10 days.
===
Source: Delray Beach Open. Video: Delray Beach Open. Photo Credit: Andrew Patron.