WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Winston-Salem Open added another top player to its field today as world No. 15 Kevin Anderson has been named the second  wild card to compete in the ATP 250 World Tour event, which begins this Saturday, Aug. 22 at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex adjacent to BB&T Field.

Anderson, a 6-8 South African who has one of the fastest serves on tour, gives the tournament another top 20 player. He is joining Tommy Haas as a wild card entrant to become the 40^th player named to the tournament field.

“We’re very excited that Kevin is returning to Winston-Salem to compete again this year,” tournament director Bill Oakes said. “Kevin has had an outstanding year thus far to reach No. 16 in the ATP rankings, and fans will want to come see his big serve up close. We still have additional wild cards to announce this week and are looking forward to adding more world-class players to our already incredible field.”

At age 29, Anderson is playing the best tennis of his life. He reached a career-high No. 14 in the ATP World Tour rankings in June and is currently ranked No. 15. He has enjoyed an outstanding grass court season, reaching the finals at the Aegon Championships before losing to Andy Murray, and then advancing to the fourth round at Wimbledon before losing a tough five-setter to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

Anderson won the first two sets against Djokovic that day and had Djokovic on the ropes before Djokovic rallied. Anderson owns two ATP World Tour singles titles. The first came in his hometown of Johannesburg in 2011, and the second, oddly enough, came in his American home base of Delray Beach in 2012.

He has had six runner-up finishes since then, including two this year -- the Aegon, plus Memphis in February when he lost in the final to Kei Nishikori. He has been especially solid in Grand Slams, reaching at least the third round of his last seven Grand Slam tournaments. This year he reached the fourth round at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, and the third round at Roland Garros. Anderson is a former three-time All-American at Illinois and teamed with Ryan Rowe to win the 2006 NCAA doubles title.

Anderson will be playing in the Winston-Salem Open for the third time. He reached the third round last year, also as a wildcard, and participated in 2012 as well.

The Winston-Salem Open will be held August 22-29 at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex adjacent to BB&T Field. Box seats and individual tickets to the Winston-Salem Open are available online at winstonsalemopen.com, by calling (336) 758-6409 or in person at the Wake Forest ticket office located at Bridger Field House at BB&T Field. Tickets to the tournament are on sale now, beginning at just $5 and ranging up to $69 for the championship on August 29.

The Winston-Salem Open is offering discounts for groups of 10 or more, and tickets to qualifying on August 22 begin at only $5. There will be no additional fees to the ticket price and parking will be free again this year.

About the Winston-Salem Open

The Winston-Salem Open, an ATP World Tour 250 event with a total purse of more than $695,000, will take place from August 22-29, 2015, with qualifying set for August 22. The tournament will be the final men’s event of the Emirates Airline US Open Series and is the week prior to the US Open.  For more information on the 2015 Winston-Salem Open, please go to WinstonSalemOpen.com.

About the Emirates Airline US Open Series

Now in its 12^th season, the Emirates Airline US Open Series continues to serve as a true regular season of hard court tennis, linking seven summer tournaments to the US Open. In 2014, Serena Williams won the US Open and Emirates Airline US Open Series women’s title for the second consecutive year, earning a record tennis paycheck of $4 million. Rafael Nadal (2013), Roger Federer (2007) and Kim Clijsters (2005) also accomplished the feat of winning the Emirates Airline US Open Series and US Open singles title within the same year.

About The ATP

The ATP is the governing body of the men's professional tennis circuits - the ATP World Tour, the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Champions Tour. With 62 tournaments in 31 countries, the ATP World Tour showcases the finest male athletes competing in the world’s most exciting venues. From Australia to Europe and the Americas to Asia, the stars of the 2014 ATP World Tour will battle for prestigious titles and Emirates ATP Rankings points at ATP World Tour Masters 1000, 500 and 250 events, as well as Grand Slams (non ATP events). At the end of the season only the world’s top 8 qualified singles players and doubles teams will qualify to compete for the last title of the season at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Held at The O2 in London, the event will officially crown the 2015 ATP World Tour No.1 presented by Emirates. For more information, please visit ATPWorldTour.com.  

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