Mikael Torpegaard, OSU alum and Danish tennis star, hits a backhand during the 2020 Cleveland Open Final. Credit: Topnotch Management
This year’s upcoming Cleveland Open, an ATP Challenger tour event now in its fourth year, will feature a notably strong player field.

Players competing this year are typically ranked between 150th and 300th in the world. At the Cleveland Open, they’ll battle for ATP rankings points along with modest prize money.

This year’s tournament player list boasts 10 players ranked inside the Top 150, and of those, there are some big American names that have been ranked inside the top 15. By the conclusion of this year’s event, which starts at the end of the month, 16 of the top 22 American men’s players will have competed at the Cleveland Open.

Jack Sock, a former world No. 8 and U.S. No. 1, Sam Querrey, a former world No. 11 and US No. 1, Yoshihito Nishioka, an ATP Tour title winner and No. 2 Japanese player in the world and all three previous Cleveland Open Champions (Max Cressy, Mikael Torpegaard and Bjorn Fratangelo) are slated to compete.

The weeklong tournament takes place at the Cleveland Racquet Club, an intimate, casual setting. Early rounds start on Jan. 31, and the singles final takes place on Feb. 6. Tickets are free Monday through Thursday and are available for purchase Friday through Sunday.

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This article appears in Jan 5-11, 2022.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.