A Few Main Draw Player Bios

Bradley Klahn (USA)

Makes his way to Binghamton for the first time since going pro after winning the 2010 NCAA men’s singles title for Stanford. Klahn jumped onto the scene right away when he received a wild card into qualifying of the 2012 US Open and subsequently won three matches to advance to the main draw, where he upset Top-50 player and fellow lefty Jurgen Melzer in the first round. In doing so, Klahn became the first-ever men’s qualifying wild card to win a round at the US Open. Following the US Open, Klahn advanced to three USTA Pro Circuit Challenger quarterfinals. This year, he was a practice partner for the U.S. Davis Cup team in Jacksonville, Fla., where the United States defeated Brazil. On the USTA Pro Circuit, Klahn reached the final of the $10,000 Futures in Calabasas, Calif., in March and then won the singles title at the $10,000 Futures in Costa Mesa, Calif., the following week. He also reached the doubles final of the $100,000 USTA Pro Circuit Challenger in Sarasota, Fla., in April with teammate Steve Johnson.

Alex Kuznetsov (USA)

The 2004 junior French Open runner-up (to Gael Monfils), recently earned a main-draw wild card into the 2013 French Open by winning the Har-Tru USTA Pro Circuit Wild Card Challenge. The USTA awarded one men’s singles main-draw wild card into the French Open to an American player based on his results on the USTA Pro Circuit, similar to what is being done with the 2013 US Open wild card in Binghamton. Kuznetsov earned 115 points in the Wild Card Challenge, winning the title in Sarasota to collect 100 points and earning 15 points by reaching the quarterfinals in Savannah and Tallahassee. Kuznetsov was a qualifier in Sarasota and won seven consecutive matches to take the title. The Sarasota Challenger was Kuznetsov’s fourth career USTA Pro Circuit Challenger crown. Following the French Open, Kuznetsov also qualified for Wimbledon. In 2012, he qualified for the Australian Open to make his first appearance in a Grand Slam main draw since 2007 and faced Rafael Nadal in the first round. Kuznetsov had a strong end to 2012, reaching two USTA Pro Circuit Challenger finals. A native of Kiev, Ukraine, where his grandfather was a handball champion, Kuznetsov suffered a severe leg injury in a 2005 car accident. He came back to play in his first US Open main draw in 2006. In 2007, he won his first Grand Slam match at the Australian Open and reached the round of 16 in doubles at the US Open.

Tennys Sandgren (USA)

Turned pro following his sophomore season at the University of Tennessee after reaching the semifinals of the 2011 NCAA tournament, where he lost to former Tennessee teammate and 2013 LG&T wildcard recipient Rhyne Williams in three sets. Sandgren won three USTA Pro Circuit Futures titles in 2012 before transitioning to Challenger-level events for the remainder of the year. He also competed in qualifying at the 2012 US Open and in the process climbed 300 spots in the ATP World Tour rankings. In 2013, he has won the doubles title at the $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit Challenger in Tallahassee, Fla., with Austin Krajicek. Tennys also reached the doubles finals at the $100,000 Challenger in Dallas and the $50,000 Challenger in Maui, Hawaii, with collegiate teammate Rhyne Williams. Also this year, Sandgren served as a Davis Cup practice partner for the U.S. team in Boise, Idaho, in early April against Serbia. Sandgren’s brother, Davey, was a two-time All-American for Tennessee, lettering from 2007-10.

Austin Krajicek (USA)

A five-time All-American for Texas A&M and the 2011 NCAA men’s doubles champion with Jeff Dadamo. Krajicek won his first professional title at a $15,000 Futures event in China in January of 2012 and claimed his first USTA Pro Circuit singles title at the Futures in Austin, Texas last summer, where he also captured the doubles title. He won both the singles and doubles crowns at the Little Rock, Ark., Futures event in April, and won the singles title in Tampa in mid-May. In addition, he won the singles and doubles titles at an ITF Circuit event in Canada this past-March and reached the singles final at another ITF Circuit tournament the week prior. A standout junior player, Krajicek won the 2008 USTA Boys’ 18 National Championships, earning a wild card into the 2008 US Open men’s singles main draw. He has been a practice partner on three occasions for the U.S. Davis Cup team and is a distant relative of former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek.

Chase Buchanan (USA)

A Columbus, Ohio native was the 2012 NCAA men’s doubles champion for Ohio State. On the USTA Pro Circuit last year, Buchanan won two Futures singles titles and three Futures doubles titles—all on clay. Behind those results, he climbed more than 500 spots in the ATP rankings. Buchanan won the doubles title at the $15,000 USTA Pro Circuit Futures in Little Rock, Ark., in April, and the event in Rochester last month. He also competed in qualifying for the ATP events in Delray Beach, Fla., and San Jose, Calif., this year. As a junior player, Buchanan reached the final of the 2009 junior US Open.

Christian Harrison (USA)

Started off 2013 by playing in ITF Circuit events in Great Britain, won his first pro title and reached another singles final this season. The younger brother of Ryan Harrison (110th ranked ATP player), Christian teamed with Ryan to reach the doubles quarterfinals at the 2012 US Open, upsetting the No. 4 seeds in the opening round. Christian reached his first $50,000 Challenger semifinal last summer in Lexington, Ky., and reached the final of the $10,000 Futures event in Tampa this year. Last May, he reached back-to-back Futures semifinals in Tampa, Fla., and at Indian Harbour Beach, Fla.

Nicolas Meister (USA)

A former All-American at UCLA, has won eight career doubles titles on the ITF Pro Circuit, including three in 2012. Also last year, Meister reached the singles and mixed doubles finals at the US Open National Playoffs Championships, coming one win shy of earning a wild card entry into the US Open singles qualifying draw and mixed doubles main draw, respectively. Meister has been playing in ITF tournaments overseas since April, competing in Vietnam, Mexico, and Korea. He won his first career pro title this year at a tournament in Mexico and reached the singles final of events in Mexico and Vietnam.

Notable players expected to compete in the qualifying draw include:

Jeff Dadamo (USA)

Recently advanced to the US Open National Playoffs in New Haven, Conn., later this summer by defeating Jesse Witten in the 2013 US Open National Playoffs Florida Sectional Qualifying Tournament. The winner of the National Playoffs earns a US Open qualifying wild card. Dadamo played for Texas A&M and won the 2011 NCAA men’s doubles title with Austin Krajicek. Dadamo holds two USTA Pro Circuit doubles titles—claiming one in 2011 with Krajicek and one in 2012 with Devin Britton.

Dennis Novikov (USA)

The 2012 USTA Boys’ 18’s national champion in singles and doubles. Those victories earned him wild card entries into each main draw at the 2012 US Open, where he became just the second USTA Boys’ 18’s champ to advance to the second round in singles in the last 15 years. Born in Moscow, Russia, Novikov moved with his family to the U.S. at the age of one and recently completed his sophomore year at UCLA, where he is one of the Bruins’ top singles players.

Daniel Nguyen (USA)

A former All-American at USC, helped the Trojans to four consecutive NCAA team championships, 2009-12, clinching the titles for the team in 2010 and 2011. Nguyen won his first career USTA Pro Circuit singles title last fall at the $10,000 Futures in Irvine, Calif., and spent the final months of 2012 in Hong Kong playing ITF events.