INDESIT ATP 2004 Race leader Roger Federer already has clinched a berth in the Tennis Masters Cup Houston, marking the earliest announced qualification for the year-end championships in ATP history (from 1990). Federer is the defending Tennis Masters Cup Houston champion. Today's announcement is a clear testament to Federer's remarkable run of success in 2004, which includes two Grand Slam victories (Australian Open and Wimbledon), three ATP Masters Series titles (Indian Wells, Hamburg and Toronto) and an incredible 23-match, four-tournament winning streak that he puts on the line at 1 p.m. EST today at the ATP Masters Series tournament in Cincinnati. Federer also is seeking at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters this week to become the first player in history to win three consecutive ATP Masters Series titles, and the first player to ever win four ATP Masters Series titles in a single year. He's the first player since Bjorn Borg in 1979 to win consecutive tournament titles on grass, clay and hard courts. 戦'm very happy to qualify for the Tennis Masters Cup for the third time in succession,Federer said. 戦 always play well at the Tennis Masters Cup and last year's title was one of the best tournament wins of my career. The top 8 players will be competing and I look forward to defending my title.? In contrast to Federer's announced qualification this year during the first week of August, the first two players last year to be officially announced as qualifiers for the Tennis Masters Cup Houston, a joint event run by the ATP, ITF and Grand Slams, were Andy Roddick and Juan Carlos Ferrero in September during the U.S. Open. Federer currently leads the INDESIT ATP 2004 Race by more than 300 points. 巣e all marvel at Federer's remarkable form that has resulted in this unprecedented early qualification,?said Mark Miles, ATP Chief Executive Officer. 荘 Tennis fans throughout the world not only are thoroughly enjoying watching Roger's style and superb level of play, but they also are witnessing the emergence of one of the greatest champions in tennis' history. I'm certain that the Houston fans in particular will be eager to see Roger attempt to defend his Tennis Masters Cup title in November.? Federer has won eight tournament titles in 2004, and his 23-match winning streak is the sixth longest since the ATP began keeping track in 1990. Each win this week at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters will move him higher up the chart. A win in Cincinnati (six match victories) would tie him with Sampras in the No. 2 spot (29) behind Thomas Muster's 35-match streak in 1995 that many experts consider insurmountable. Federer's eight titles in 2004 also puts him within reach of the 12 won by Muster in 1995, another modern-era achievement that many expected to last for decades. The Race for the remaining seven spots will be heavily contested through the remainder of the season, with Andy Roddick, Guillermo Coria, Carlos Moya and Gaston Gaudio likely to be the next players to qualify for Houston, which will be held November 13-21 at the Westside Tennis Club. While those four look likely, the remaining spots likely will not be decided until after the US Open and the fall ATP Masters Series tournaments in Madrid and Paris. The top seven finishers in the INDESIT ATP 2004 Race qualify for the Tennis Masters Cup. The eighth place will go to the highest-placed Grand Slam champion who finishes between eighth and 20th. If no player fits this classification, the eighth place will go to the player who finishes eighth in the INDESIT ATP 2004 Race. -- 虽然说是迟早的事 :p --

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