ALL-SPANISH QUARTER-FINAL CLASH HEADLINES BASTAD ACTION

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1 Page 1 of 5 SKISTAR SWEDISH OPEN: DAY 5 MEDIA NOTES Friday, July 21, 2017 Bastad Tennis Stadium, Bastad, Sweden July 17 23, 2017 Draw: S-28, D-16 Prize Money: 482,060 Surface: Clay ATP World Tour Info Tournament Info ATP PR & Marketing SwedishOpen.org Mark Epps: Press Room: ALL-SPANISH QUARTER-FINAL CLASH HEADLINES BASTAD ACTION A rematch of last year's all-spanish SkiStar Swedish Open final takes place on Friday when defending champion and No. 2 seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas takes on compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the marquee quarter-final clash on Centre Court. Ramos-Vinolas opened defense of his title on Thursday by rallying for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Thiago Monteiro of Brazil, improving to 10-4 lifetime in Bastad. The 29-year-old Spaniard is appearing in his ninth ATP World Tour quarter-final of 2017, but is seeking his first title since his breakthrough triumph at Bastad last year. Ranked No. 24 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Ramos-Vinolas is on clay in Verdasco, who also was a finalist here in 2013 (l. to Berlocq), booked his spot in the quarters on Thursday with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Argentine Facundo Bagnis, improving to 18-9 lifetime at this tournament. This will be the seventh ATP World Tour meeting between Ramos-Vinolas and Verdasco, with Verdasco holding a 4-2 advantage. In addition to Ramos-Vinolas winning last year's Bastad final, 6-3, 6-4, Verdasco won their R16 matchup here in 2014, 6-1, 7-5. Two-time Bastad champion David Ferrer, the No. 8 seed, is the third Spaniard looking to advance to the semi-finals. The 2007 and 2012 champion takes on Swiss No. 3 Henri Laaksonen in a first-time meeting. Ferrer improved to 23-7 lifetime in Bastad with his 6-2, 6-3 win over Germany's Dustin Brown on Wednesday and is seeking his second ATP World Tour SF of the year. Laaksonen, playing his first tournament as a member of the Top 100 Emirates ATP Rankings, eliminated No. 3 seed Pablo Cuevas, 6-4, 6-3, on Wednesday and will be appearing in his first career ATP World Tour quarter-final. In the first quarter-final match on Centre Court, No. 7 seed Diego Schwartzman of Argentina faces unseeded Russian Andrey Kuznetsov in their first ATP World Tour-level meeting. Schwartzman won a qualifying match on clay at the 2015 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome, 7-6(5), 6-2, in their only previous encounter. This will be Schwartzman's fifth ATP World Tour QF of the year, all on clay, and he will be seeking his second SF berth of 2017 (Istanbul, l. to Cilic). Kuznetsov advanced to his fourth ATP World Tour QF of 2017 when No. 1 seed Pablo Carreno Busta retired in the third set of their secondround match on Wednesday with a left abdominal muscle injury. The second QF match on Centre Court features No. 5 seed and #NextGenATP star Karen Khachanov of Russia taking on unseeded Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine. Dolgopolov won their only previous

2 Page 2 of 5 meeting on clay in the R16 at Barcelona last year, 6-4, 7-5. Khachanov saved two match points on Thursday before prevailing, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3, over Latvia's Ernests Gulbis. Currently ranked at a careerhigh No. 33 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Khachanov is appearing in his fourth ATP World Tour quarterfinal of the season, including a SF showing in Halle (l. to Federer). Dolgopolov, this year's Buenos Aires champion, eliminated No. 9 seed Horacio Zeballos, 6-4, 6-4, on Thursday to reach his third ATP World Tour QF of FEDEX ATP HEAD 2 HEADS: DAY 5 QUARTER-FINAL MATCHES Centre Court Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS) vs [7] Diego Schwartzman (ARG) First Tour-level Meeting Other meetings: 15 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome Q (Italy) Clay -- Diego Schwartzman 7-6(5), 6-2 Kuznetsov FastFacts: 2017 Highlights: SF: Sydney (l Evans); Geneva (l Wawrinka); QF: Budapest (l Lorenzi), Bastad YTD W-L: Career Titles: 0 Date of Birth: February 22, 1991 Emirates ATP Ranking: 88 Båstad W-L (Best Result): 2-0 (2017 QF) Advanced to his fourth ATP World Tour QF of 2017 when No. 1 seed Pablo Carreno Busta retired in the third set of their second-round match with a left abdominal muscle injury Ended 0-10 start to career in ATP World Tour QFs by beating Carreno Busta to reach Sydney SF (l. to Evans) Also advanced to Geneva SF (d. Ramos-Vinolas in 2R, l. to eventual champion Wawrinka) Defeated Fognini 76 in 3rd to reach Budapest QF (l. to Lorenzi) Qualified for ATP Masters 1000 events at Monte-Carlo (l. to Berdych in 1R) and Madrid (l. to Tsonga in 1R) Suffered 6-match tour-level losing streak before beating Istomin in ATP Masters 1000 Miami 1R (l. to Karlovic in 2R) Advanced to 1st ATP World Tour doubles final at Sofia w/elgin (l. to Troicki/Zimonjic) Also lost to Troicki/Zimonjic in Davis Cup 1R w/kravchuk (SRB d. RUS 4-1) Schwartzman FastFacts: 2017 Highlights: SF: Istanbul (l Cilic); QF: Rio de Janeiro (l Thiem); Sao Paulo (l Cuevas); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (l Nadal), Bastad YTD W-L: Date of Birth: August 16, 1992 Emirates ATP Ranking: 38 Båstad W-L (Best Result): 2-2 (2017 QF) Appearing in his fifth ATP World Tour QF of the year, all on clay, and will be seeking his second SF berth of 2017 (Istanbul, l. to Cilic) Reached 1st ATP Masters 1000 QF at Monte-Carlo (d. Bautista Agut in 2R, l. to eventual champion Nadal) Lost to eventual champs in Rio de Janeiro QF (l. to Thiem), Sao Paulo QF (l. to Cuevas) and Istanbul SF (l. to Cilic) Advanced to 3R at Miami (d. Ferrer, l. to Goffin) and Roland Garros (d. Rublev 97 in 5th, l. to Djokovic in 5 sets)

3 Page 3 of 5 Has already set a career-high with 19 wins in 2017 and achieved career-high No. 34 in Emirates ATP Rankings on April 24 Squandered 1 MP vs Donaldson in Eastbourne 1R and now owns 0-6 lifetime record on grass Withdrew from London/Queen s Club due to abdominal injury [5] Karen Khachanov (RUS) vs Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) Dolgopolov Leads Barcelona (Spain) Clay R16 Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-4, 7-5 Khachanov FastFacts: 2017 Highlights: SF: Halle (l Federer); QF: Barcelona (l Zeballos); Lyon (l Tsonga); Bastad YTD W-L: Date of Birth: May 21, 1996 Emirates ATP Ranking: 33 Båstad W-L (Best Result): 1-1 (2017 QF) #NextGenATP star saved two match points in second-round win over Latvia's Ernests Gulbis Appearing in his fourth ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season, including a SF showing in Halle (l. to Federer) Currently ranked at a career-high No. 33 in the Emirates ATP Rankings Advanced to Grand Slam 3R and 4R for 1st time at Roland Garros (d. Berdych and Isner, l. to No. 1 Murray) Also advanced to Wimbledon 3R (d. Kuznetsov for 1st 5-set win in 1R, l. to Nadal) Reached Halle SF (d. Nishikori, l. to eventual champion Federer) and Lyon QF (l. to eventual champion Tsonga) Earned 1st Top 10 win of career over Goffin to reach Barcelona QF (l. to Zeballos) Snapped 6-match losing streak by reaching ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells 2R (d. Robredo, l. to Goffin) Squandered 2 MPs in Auckland 1R (l. to Lu 76 in 3rd) and 1 MP in Davis Cup 1R (l. to Troicki 76 in 5th) Withdrew from Antalya due to shoulder injury Dolgopolov FastFacts: 2017 Highlights: W: Buenos Aires (d Nishikori); QF: Rio de Janeiro (l Carreno Busta) YTD W-L: YTD Titles: 1 Career Titles: 3 Date of Birth: November 7, 1988 Emirates ATP Ranking: 89 Båstad W-L (Best Result): 2-0 (2017 QF) Eliminated No. 9 seed Horacio Zeballos, 6-4, 6-4, on Thursday to reach his third ATP World Tour QF of 2017 Captured 3rd ATP World Tour title and 1st since 2012 Washington at Buenos Aires (d. Nishikori) Advanced to the QF at Rio de Janeiro (d. Ferrer, Zeballos, l. to Carreno Busta) Snapped 8-match losing streak by reaching Australian Open 2R (d. Coric in 4 sets, l. to Monfils in 4 sets) Held 1 MP against eventual champion Muller before falling in Sydney 1R Fell to No. 89 in Emirates ATP Rankings on May lowest since No. 101 on February 22, 2010 Retired in 5 matches this season due to hip, right leg and right ankle injuries, including Wimbledon 1R vs Federer Withdrew from ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo Q and Budapest (groin), as well as Halle Q (right ankle) [8] David Ferrer (ESP) vs Henri Laaksonen (SUI) First Meeting Ferrer FastFacts: 2017 Highlights: SF: Estoril (l Carreno Busta) YTD W-L: 12-14

4 Page 4 of 5 Career Titles: 26 Date of Birth: April 2, 1982 Emirates ATP Ranking: 46 Båstad W-L (Best Result): 23-7 (2007, 2012 Champion) Improved to 23-7 lifetime in Bastad with his 6-2, 6-3 win over Germany's Dustin Brown on Wednesday Making 10th appearance and won titles in 2007 and 2012 (d. Almagro both times). Reached final in 2011 (l. to Soderling) and SFs in 2008, 2010 and last year) Became 13th player to reach 700 wins by beating Lopez in Rome 1R on May 16 (l. to Nishikori in 2R) Upset 2-time semi-finalist Gasquet in Wimbledon 1R (l. to Berdych in 3R) Fell to countrymen Bautista Agut in Australian Open 3R and Lopez in Roland Garros 2R Suffered 5-match losing streak from January 21 to May 4 before reaching Estoril SF (l. to Carreno Busta) Dropped to No. 46 in Emirates ATP Rankings on July lowest since No. 47 on March 14, 2005 Withdrew from ATP Masters 1000 events at Indian Wells and Monte-Carlo due to Achilles tendon injury Laaksonen FastFacts: 2017 Highlights: QF: Bastad YTD W-L: 3-3 Career Titles: 0 Date of Birth: March 31, 1992 Emirates ATP Ranking: 100 Båstad W-L (Best Result): 3-2 (2017 QF) Advanced to his first career ATP World Tour QF with his 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 3 seed Pablo Cuevas on Wednesday Has a record on the ATP Challenger Tour with SF in Maui, San Francisco, Panama City and Blois. Also QF in Sarasota, Savannah and Bastad last week Comes in a career-high No. 100 in Emirates ATP Rankings and No. 3 Swiss (behind No. 3 Federer, No. 5 Wawrinka) Making fourth appearance in an ATP World Tour tournament (1-3) and qualified at ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (d. Coric, l. to Sock in three sets). Also lost in 1R at Wimbledon (l. to Rosol) Lost in singles to Isner and in doubles w/bossel to Johnson/Sock during Davis Cup 1R tie (USA d. SUI 5-0) [6] Fernando Verdasco (ESP) vs [2] Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP) Verdasco Leads Sao Paulo (Brazil) Clay QF Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-6(5), US Open (U.S.A.) Hard R64 Fernando Verdasco 7-6(4), 5-7, 7-6(5), Eastbourne (Great Britain) Grass R16 Fernando Verdasco 6-4, Bastad (Sweden) Clay R16 Fernando Verdasco 6-1, Bastad (Sweden) Clay F Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-3, ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati (U.S.A.) Hard R64 Fernando Verdasco 7-6(5), 6-4 Verdasco FastFacts: 2017 Highlights: F: Dubai (l Murray); SF: Doha (l Djokovic); QF: Houston (l Johnson); Budapest (l Djere); Antalya (l Mannarino), Bastad YTD W-L: Career Titles: 7 Date of Birth: November 15, 1983 Emirates ATP Ranking: 39 Båstad W-L (Best Result): 18-9 (2013, 2016 Finalist)

5 Page 5 of 5 Defeated Facundo Bagnis, 6-3, 6-2, on Thursday to improve to 18-9 lifetime in Bastad Making 10th appearance in Bastad since debut in 2004 (2R). Reached finals in 2013 (l. to Berlocq) and last year (l. to Ramos-Vinolas) and SFs in 2008 and 2014 Appearing in his sixth ATP World Tour QF of 2017 Beat Bautista Agut and Monfils en route to Dubai final, where he fell to 0-12 vs World No. 1 (l. to Murray) Rose to No. 29 in Emirates ATP Rankings on March 6 -- highest since No. 29 on July 7, 2014 Defeated Goffin and Karlovic en route to Doha SF (l. to eventual champion Djokovic after holding 5 MPs) Advanced to Houston QF (l. to eventual champion Johnson) and Antalya QF (l. to Mannarino) Squandered 1 MP in Budapest QF loss to 184th-ranked Djere Reached Roland Garros singles 4R (l. to Nishikori) and doubles SF w/zimonjic (l. to S. Gonzalez/Young) Ramos-Vinolas FastFacts: 2017 Highlights: F: Sao Paulo (l Cuevas); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (l Nadal); SF: Quito (l Lorenzi); Rio de Janeiro (l Thiem); QF: Chennai (l Sela); Buenos Aires (l Carreno Busta); Marrakech (l Coric); Barcelona (l Murray), Bastad YTD W-L: Date of Birth: January 17, 1988 Emirates ATP Ranking: 24 Båstad W-L (Best Result): 10-4 (2016 Champion) Rallied past Thiago Monteiro, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, on Thursday, improving to 10-4 lifetime in Bastad Appearing in his ninth ATP World Tour quarter-final of 2017, but seeking his first title since his breakthrough triumph at Bastad last year (d. Verdasco) Ranked No. 24 in the Emirates ATP Rankings Has posted a record on clay in 2017 Reached 1st ATP Masters 1000 QF, SF and final at Monte-Carlo (d. Cilic and Pouille, l. to Nadal) Earned biggest win of career over World No. 1 Murray in Monte-Carlo 3R, rallying from 04 down in 3rd set Achieved career-high No. 17 in Emirates ATP Rankings on May 8 Saved 1 MP vs Sousa in Sao Paulo SF before losing to Cuevas in final -- led before rain suspension Also saved 1 MP in Buenos Aires 1R vs. Pella (l. to Carreno Busta in QF) Advanced to SFs at Quito (l. to Lorenzi) and Rio de Janeiro (l. to Thiem) Won 5-setters to reach Roland Garros 4R (d. Pouille, l. to Djokovic) and Wimbledon 3R (d. Rublev, l. to Raonic) Snapped 21-match, 13-month doubles losing streak at Madrid w/haase (d. Matkowski/Peya in 1R)