OPEN: DAY 5 MEDIA NOTES Friday, February 12, 2016

Buenos Aires Lawn Club, , Argentina | February 8 - 14, 2016 Draw: S-28, D-16 | Prize Money: $598,865 | Surface: Clay

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TOP 3 ACTIVE SPECIALISTS IN QUARTER-FINAL ACTION

QUARTER-FINALMATCHES: The top three players for clay court wins amongst active players are in quarter-final action on Friday at the Argentina Open. The “King of Clay” is No. 1 on the list with a career 345-30 record and 47 titles on clay. He is joined in the quarter-finals by No. 2 (304-117, 12 titles) and No. 3 Nicolas Almagro (260-128, 12 titles).

The first quarter-final is the second meeting between Austrian No. 5 seed and Serbian Dusan Lajovic. The 22-year-old Thiem, who is youngest player in the Top 20 Emirates ATP Rankings, is appearing in his second ATP World Tour quarter-final of the year and 13th overall (7-5 mark). The 25- year-old Lajovic has a career 0-7 record (0-6 on clay) in ATP World tour quarter-finals.

Following Italian looks for his first career win over a Top 10 opponent (0-10 record) when he faces the defending champion Nadal. Rafa won their only previous meeting in three sets in the second round at 2011 Rome. The 34-year-old Lorenzi is attempting to reach his third career ATP World Tour semi-final. Last week reached second career ATP World Tour semi-final at Quito (l. to Bellucci).

In the third quarter-final 2011 champion Almagro has never defeated the French No. 3 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in six previous meetings. The 30-year-old Almagro is appearing in first ATP World Tour quarter- final of the year and first since reaching the finals at Kitzbühel (l. to Mathieu) last August. The 30-year- old Tsonga is appearing in second ATP World Tour quarter-final of the year and first on clay since reaching the semi-finals last year at Roland Garros (l. to eventual champion Wawrinka).

The last match is the third meeting and first since 2010 between Uruguayan No. 8 seed and three-time champion Ferrer (2012-14). The pair are facing each other for the first time since 2010, when Ferrer won both their meetings in straight sets. Cuevas has a career 2-6 record vs Top 10 opponents, wins over No. 5 Berdych at 2015 Beijing and No. 8 Roddick at 2011 Miami.

DAY 5 FEDEX ATP HEAD 2 HEADS – In Order of Play by Court

COURT CENTRAL GUILLERMO VILAS

Dusan Lajovic (SRB) vs [5] Dominic Thiem (AUT) Thiem Leads 1-0 15 Umag (Croatia) Clay R16 Dominic Thiem 6-1 3-1 ret

Lajovic FastFacts: 2016 Highlights: YTD W-L: 3-3 (2-1 on clay) YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0 Date of Birth: June 30, 1990 Emirates ATP Ranking: 79 Buenos Aires W-L (Best Result): 2-1 (QF in 2016)

 The 25-year-old opened with a 76(7) 63 win over Lucky Loser Facundo Arguello on Tuesday and followed with 76(10) 46 76(6) win over No. 4 seed on Wednesday. He is playing here for the second time fell in 1R last year (l. to Gimeno-Traver) as a qualifier in his tournament debut  Appearing in 8th career ATP World Tour QF (0-7, 0-6 on clay) and first since last year at Kitzbühel (l. to Almagro)  Last week fell in 1R at Quito (l. to Ramos-Vinolas) Argentina Open Day 5 – Friday, February 12, 2016 Page 2 of 4 www.ATPWorldTour.com

 Opened season with 1R loss at Brisbane (l. to Stepanek), fell in qualifying at Sydney (l. to Mahut in Q2) and reached 2R at Australian Open (l. to Bautista Agut)  In 2015, Serb finished in Top 100 of Emirates ATP Rankings for 2nd straight season  Earned career-high 17 tour-level wins, including 1R victory at Roland Garros (d. M. Gonzalez, l. to eventual champion Wawrinka)

Thiem FastFacts: 2016 Highlights: SF: Brisbane (l Federer) YTD W-L: 6-3 (1-0 on clay) YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 3 Date of Birth: September 3, 1993 Emirates ATP Ranking: 19 Buenos Aires W-L (Best Result): 1-0 (2R in 2016)

 The 22-year-old, who is the youngest player in the Top 20 Emirates ATP Ranking, defeated Pablo Carreno Busta 60 36 63 in his tournament debut on Tuesday and followed with a 36 76(7) 63 win over Portuguese qualifier Gastao Elias on Wednesday  Appearing in 13th career ATP World Tour QF (7-5 record) and has won last 6 QF matches. Last loss was at Munich (l. to Melzer) last April  Playing first event since reaching 3R at Australian Open (l. to Goffin)  Opened year by reaching 7th career ATP World Tour SF at Brisbane (d. Cilic in QF, l. to Federer), ret. down 76(2) 22 in 2R at Sydney (l. to Muller) due to blisters  In 2015, Austrian improved his year-end Emirates ATP Ranking for 5th straight season and finished as youngest player in Top 20  Achieved career-high No. 18 on August 10 after reaching SF at Kitzbühel  Captured 1st 3 ATP World Tour titles of career -- all on clay: Nice (d. L. Mayer 76 in 3rd), Umag (d. Sousa) and Gstaad (d. Goffin)  Won career-high 36 matches (previous-best was 22 in 2014)

[1/WC] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) Nadal Leads 1-0 11 ATP Masters 1000 Rome () Clay R32 Rafael Nadal 6-7(5) 6-4 6-0

Nadal FastFacts: 2016 Highlights: F: Doha (l Djokovic) YTD W-L: 5-2 (1-0 on clay) YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 67 Date of Birth: June 3, 1986 Emirates ATP Ranking: 5 Buenos Aires W-L (Best Result): 7-1 (Winner in 2015)

 The 29-year-old opened with a 64 64 win over Juan Monaco. Last year he defeated Monaco in the finals to capture his 46th career clay court. He is playing here for the third time, also reached the QF in 2005 (l. to Gaudio), and has a 7-1 tournament record  The top ranked Spaniard is playing in his first tournament since falling in the 1R at Australian Open (l. to Verdasco in 5-sets). It was just the second time in his career that he had lost in the 1R of a major – 2013 Wimbledon (l. to Darcis)  Opened year by reached finals at Doha (l. to Djokovic)  In 2015, Spaniard finished in Top 5 of Emirates ATP Rankings for 11th straight season  Captured titles at Buenos Aires (d. Monaco), Stuttgart (d. Troicki) and Hamburg (d. Fognini), while also reaching finals at ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (l. to No. 3 Murray), Beijing (l. to No. 1 Djokovic) and Basel (l. to No. 3 Federer)

Lorenzi FastFacts: 2016 Highlights: SF: Quito (l Bellucci) YTD W-L: 5-3 (5-1 on clay) YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0 Argentina Open Day 5 – Friday, February 12, 2016 Page 3 of 4 www.ATPWorldTour.com

Date of Birth: December 15, 1981 Emirates ATP Ranking: 52 Buenos Aires W-L (Best Result): 4-3 (QF in 2016)

 The 34-year-old advanced to the QF here for the first time with a 46 63 61 win over Diego Schwartzman on Thursday. Opened with a 26 75 62 win over Pablo Andujar on Tuesday. Also reached the 2R last year (l. to Delbonis). He is playing here for the 4th time and has a 4-3 tournament record  Attempting to reach 3rd career ATP World Tour SF. Last week reached 2nd career ATP World Tour SF at Quito (l. to Bellucci). Previous SF appearance came en route to only career final at 2014 Sao Paulo (l. to Delbonis)  In opening month fell in 1R at Doha (l. to Andujar) and Australian Open (l. to Dimitrov). Captured 17th career Challenger title at Canberra (d. Dodig) and reached final at Bucaramanga (l. to Melzer). Career 17-14 record in Challenger finals  In 2015, Italian finished in Top 100 of Emirates ATP Rankings for 4th time  Career 0-10 vs Top 10 opponents

Nicolas Almagro (ESP) vs [3] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) Tsonga Leads 6-0 10 Australian Open (Australia) Hard R16 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3 6-4 4-6 6-7(6) 9-7 10 ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (Monaco) Clay R32 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6(5) 7-5 10 Barcelona () Clay R16 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 5-7 6-1 6-4 11 ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (Spain)Clay R64 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1 6-3 11 ATP Masters 1000 Canada (Canada) Hard QF Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4 6-4 12 ATP Masters 1000 Paris () Hard R16 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6(4) 7-6(3)

Almagro FastFacts: 2016 Highlights: YTD W-L: 3-2 (2-0 on clay) YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 12 Date of Birth: August 21, 1985 Emirates ATP Ranking: 72 Buenos Aires W-L (Best Result): 27-9 (Winner in 2011)

 The 30-year-old Spaniard and 2011 champion (d. Chela) defeated 63 46 64 to reach the QF on Wednesday. Knocked off qualifier Albert Montanes 63 63 in the 1R on Monday. He is making his 11th appearance here and has a 27-9 tournament record. Also reached the finals in 2012 (l. to Ferrer) and has reached the SF the past three years – 2013 (l. to Wawrinka), 2014 (l. to Ferrer), and 2015 (l. to Monaco)  Appearing in first ATP World Tour QF of the year and first since reaching the finals at Kitzbühel (l. to Mathieu) last August  One of 14 Spaniards ranked in Top 100 Emirates ATP Rankings  Playing in first event since falling in 2R at Australian Open (l. to Thiem), fell in 1R at Chennai (l. to Pavic)  In 2015, Spaniard finished in Top 100 for 10th straight season  Earned 16 of 18 wins on clay with SF runs at Buenos Aires (l. to Monaco) and Kitzbühel (l. to Mathieu)  Career 17-64 record against Top 10 opponents, has lost last 6, last win was over No. 1 Nadal at 2014 Barcelona

Tsonga FastFacts: 2016 Highlights: SF: Auckland (l Bautista Agut) YTD W-L: 6-2 (1-0 on clay) YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 12 Date of Birth: April 17, 1985 Emirates 2016 ATP Ranking: 9 Buenos Aires W-L (Best Result): 1-0 (QF in 2016)  The 30-year-old defeated 61 62 in his South America debut on Wednesday Argentina Open Day 5 – Friday, February 12, 2016 Page 4 of 4 www.ATPWorldTour.com

 Appearing in 2nd ATP World Tour QF of the year and first on clay since reaching the SF last year at Roland Garros (l. to eventual champion Wawrinka). Has a career 0-4 record in SF on clay  The top ranked Frenchman is one of six Frenchmen ranked in the Top 30 Emirates ATP Rankings (joined by: No. 10 Gasquet, No. 15 Simon, No. 18 Monfils, No. 21 Paire and No. 28 Chardy)  Opened season by reaching the SF at Auckland (l. to Bautista Agut) and reached 4R at Australian Open (l.to Nishikori)  In 2015, Frenchman finished in Top 10 for 6th time in 8 seasons (all but 2010 and 2014). Also won 30+ matches and ended in Top 15 for 8th straight season  Missed 1st 11 weeks with an arm injury before season debut at ATP Masters 1000 Miami in March  Career 70-38 record on clay and looking to reach first final

[8] Pablo Cuevas (URU) vs [2] David Ferrer (ESP) Ferrer Leads 2-0 10 Acapulco (Mexico) Clay QF David Ferrer 7-5 6-4 10 Båstad (Sweden) Clay QF David Ferrer 6-3 6-3

Cuevas FastFacts: 2016 Highlights: YTD W-L: 4-2 (2-0 on clay) YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 3 Date of Birth: January 1, 1986 Emirates ATP Ranking: 35 Buenos Aires W-L (Best Result): 5-5 (QF in 2015-16)

 The 30-year-old opened with a 75 62 win over Albert Ramos-Vinolas on Tuesday and advanced to the QF for the second year in a row with a 64 62 win over Santiago Giraldo on Thursday. He is making his 6th appearance and has a 5-5 tournament record. Best result was QF last year (l. to Monaco)  Playing in first ATP World Tour QF since reaching the SF at Bastad (l. to eventual champion Paire) last July  Playing tournament since falling in the 2R at Australian Open (l. to Kyrgios). Opened season by reaching 2R at Sydney (l. to Dimitrov)  In 2015, Uruguayan enjoyed 2nd straight Top 50 finish in comeback from right knee injury  Won 3rd singles title of career at São Paulo (d. Vanni 76 in 3rd). Also reached Istanbul final (d. Dimitrov, l. to No. 2 Federer)  Earned career-high 29 singles wins (previous-best 21 in 2010)  Career 2-6 record vs Top 10 opponents, wins over No. 5 Berdych at 2015 Beijing and No. 8 Roddick at 2011 Miami

Ferrer FastFacts: 2016 Highlights: SF: Auckland (l Sock); QF: Australian Open (l Murray) YTD W-L: 7-3 (1-0 on clay) YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 26 Date of Birth: April 2, 1982 Emirates ATP Ranking: 6 Buenos Aires W-L (Best Result): 22-4 (Winner in 2012-14)

 The 33-year-old opened with a 62 62 win over qualifier in the 2R on Thursday. He is a three time champion here 2012 (d. to Almagro), 2013 (d. Wawrinka), 2014 (d. Fognini) and is playing here for the eight time. He has a 22-4 tournament record and also reached the finals in 2010 (l. to Ferrero)  Appearing in his 3rd ATP World Tour QF of the year (1-1 mark)  Playing first event since falling in the QF at Australian Open (d. Isner in 4R, l. to Murray)  Opened season by reaching SF at Auckland (l. to Sock)  In 2015, Spaniard posted 6th straight Top 10 finish in Emirates ATP Rankings and 7th overall. Also earned 50+ wins for 6th straight season and 7th overall  Captured 25th title of career in 50th final at Kuala Lumpur (d. Lopez), which he followed with Vienna title (d. Johnson 75 in 3rd)