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The 2022 edition of the Argentina Open commences in Buenos Aires on Monday.
What is the Argentina Open?
The Argentina Open is an ATP 250 event that takes place in Buenos Aires. The first edition of the competition took place in 1956 but it only became an ATP World Series event in 1993. The tournament is played on outdoor clay courts.
Guillermo Vilas has won the competition eight times, more than any other player.
Venue
The Argentina Open takes place at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club, which has a capacity of 5,500.
Players
World No. 8 Casper Ruud is the top seed and is the heavy favorite to win the tournament. The Norwegian was the champion in 2020 but did not participate last year.
Ruud represented Norway at the ATP Cup and was his team's only positive in what was a disappointing campaign for the Scandinavian nation. The 23-year-old won two out of his three singles matches, beating Dusan Lajovic and Cristian Garin. His only defeat in the competition came against Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut.
Ruud unfortunately missed the Australian Open due to an ankle injury he suffered while practicing for the tournament. He will be keen to make up for lost time by winning his second Argentina Open this year.
Reigning champion Diego Schwartzman is seeded No. 2 in the tournament and on paper, he is the closest competitor to Ruud. The Argentinian had a disappointing Australian Open, losing in the second round to Christopher O'Connell.
Following his defeat to Alejandro Tabilo in the semifinals of the Cordoba Open, Schwartzman will be looking to make amends at the Argentina Open, which takes place in his birthplace of Buenos Aires.
Former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro will also feature in the competition after receiving a wildcard. This will be the 33-year-old's first ATP event since 2019. However, Del Potro shocked the tennis world when he recently announced that the tournament will be "more of a farewell than a return."
Other players competing in the tournament include 2014 runner-up Fabio Fognini, Lorenzo Sonego, Dusan Lajovic and Federico Delbonis.
Schedule
The tournament takes place from February 7-13 and the top four seeds will receive a bye to the second round.
Juan Martin Del Potro will square off against sixth seed Federico Delbonis on his return while fifth seed Dusan Lajovic takes on Benoit Paire.
Prize Money
The prize money for the men's singles champion at the ATP 250 event is $91,600. The total prize money for the competition is $686,700.
Where to watch
Viewers in India can follow all the action on the Discovery+ App. Those viewing from the United States can watch all the matches live on Tennis Channel.
Also Check Out: Argentina Open 2022 Results
