The big waiting and uncertainty are over. 2020 Sofia Open’s main draw was announced this evening in a closed online ceremony at Arena Armeec. This year Sofia Open will be held between 7 and 17 November. The strong 250 ATP tournament will be held in strict observation of all the anti-epidemic measures the places in the competition venue are limited, and the fans will be located with the mandatory distance of two seats.
Top-seeded Denis Shapovalov will wait for his first opponent in the second round – the winner between Radu Albot (ROM) and Youichi Sugita (JPN).
Second-seeded – Felix Auger-Aliassime (world No.22) will wait for the winner between the second-best Bulgarian – Dimitar Kuzmanov and Salvatore Caruso (ITA).
The second Bulgarian with “Wild card” – 19-years old Adrian Andreev will meet the sixth-seeded John Millman (AUS).
Hours before the start of the drawing ceremony it became clear that one of the Bulgarian best players – Alexandar Lazarov, who got “wild card” for the tournament, was tested positive for COVID-19. “Despite his excellent health and lack of any clinical symptomatology and being in an absolute vitality and vigor, Alexandar Lazarov has to be withdrawn because of being tested positive for COVID-19”, Tournament Infection Control Officer d-r Georgi Maximov said.
Czech prodigy Jonas Forejtek – winner of three 2019 Junior Grand Slam titles, will replace Alexander Lazarov in the main draw of the Sofia Open 2020. Forejtek will play the former US Open champion Marin Cilic (CRO).
Tickets for the fifth edition of the Sofia Open are on sale online on Eventim.bg, on Grabo.bg, and ipass.bg.
The tickets are in 3 different seat categories. For the first four days of the tournament, the price is the same for all seats, and those who bought tickets earlier will have the opportunity to choose from the free ones at the moment. For the last four days, including the semifinals and the final of the tournament, the tickets are at different prices depending on the place in the hall.
Day 1 (Sat) – 18 BGN
Day 2 (Sun) – 18 BGN
Day 3 (Mon) – 27 BGN
Day 4 (Tue) – 45 BGN
Day 5 (Wed) – Category 3: 50 BGN/ Category 2 – 70 BGN/ Category 1 – 110 BGN
Day 6 (Thur) – Category 3: 60 BGN/ Category 2 – 100 BGN/ Category 1 – 140 BGN
Day 7 (Fri) – Category 3: 90 BGN/ Category 2 – 120 BGN/ Category 1 – 160 BGN
Day 8 (Sat) – Category 3: 90 BGN/ Category 2 – 120 BGN/ Category 1 – 160 BGN
*Children up to 7 years are free of charge. Children aged 7-14 get a 25% discount
All purchased package tickets for the previous dates of the tournament are valid, and their holders will only have to re-validate them in Eventim due to the mandatory limitation of seats and the placement with the mandatory distance of two chairs. (Existing Eventim package holders can receive direct information about the possibility of remote revalidation at email: sofiaopen2020@eventim.bg.)
During the Sofia Open 2020, all anti-epidemic measures will be strictly observed. In addition to the two-seats distance, all fans in the hall are required to wear a protective mask.
Bulgaria has the unique opportunity to be among the few countries in the world that will host an event from the ATP tour following its suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic. Although significantly limited, the audience in Sofia will be able to enjoy live some of the biggest stars of world tennis. The team of Sofia Open is confident that from 7th to 14th of November when all eyes of the world’s tennis community will be focused on Sofia, the Bulgarian audience will show the world that it can be a good example.