Feliciano Lopez to replace Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi - World number 17 Feliciano Lopez will compete in the fifth and sixth place play-off against South Africa's Kevin Anderson on day two of the tournament.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has been forced to make a withdrawal from the eighth Mubadala World Tennis Championship taking place this weekend, December 31st - January 2nd at Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi. After playing the first match of the tournament against world number seven Ferrer, Tsonga confirmed his withdrawal due to a right forearm injury.
World number 17 Feliciano Lopez, a crowd favourite in Abu Dhabi who made his first appearance at the annual Championship last year, replaces Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and will compete in the fifth and sixth place play-off against South Africa's Kevin Anderson on day two of the tournament. Lopez arrives in Abu Dhabi off the back of a season that saw him reach the quarter finals of the US Open for the first time in his career, where he eventually succumbed to the power of world number 1 Novak Djokovic. His appearance at Flushing Meadows marked his 55th consecutive outing in a Grand Slam main draw and he enters 2016 with an impressive 33 wins over top 10 players.
Following Lopez v Anderson, the New Year celebrations will continue with a Spanish showdown between an in-form David Ferrer and 14-time Grand Slam winner, Rafael Nadal. New Year's Day at Zayed Sports City will come to a close with the third match of the day when Milos Raonic takes on reigning French Open champ, Stan Wawrinka.
Limited tickets are still available at www.ticketmaster.ae, all Virgin Megastores across the UAE, by calling 800 TM UAE (800 86 823) or at the box office at the International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City. Prices start from Dh250, with exclusive premier hospitality packages also available including food and beverage offers, star player meet and greets and premier stadium seating.