Spaniard Fernando Verdasco has clinched the eighth and final singles berth at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals after Friday’s play at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris. Verdasco’s place in the elite eight-man singles field at the season finale – which begins 22 November at The O2 in London – was confirmed when his two chief rivals, Sweden’s Robin Soderling and France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, lost their quarter-final matches in Paris today.

The star-studded London line-up will feature Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin del Potro, Andy Roddick, Nikolay Davydenko, who also qualified in Paris this week, and Verdasco. Making his first appearance at the season finale, Verdasco is the only member of this year’s Elite Eight who did not qualify for last year’s tournament.

“I am so happy to have qualified; it is such a big thing to finish among the Top 8,” Verdasco said. “It is a new experience for me, my first time there. I will try my best as usual and enjoy it as much as I can. I have heard so many good things about the venue in London and I look forward to competing there against the best players in front of so many fans.”

Verdasco, a Madrid native, compiled his best season while qualifying for his first year-end championship. He captured his third career ATP World Tour title in New Haven and reached two other finals in Kuala Lumpur and Brisbane. He put together a personal-best 15-4 mark in Grand Slam play, highlighted by a run to the Australian Open semi-finals, where he pushed Nadal to five sets. After that result Verdasco ranked in the Top 10 of the South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings every week for the rest of season, except for the week of August 10.

In another significant development in Paris Friday, reigning ATP World Tour Champion Rafael Nadal (who took out Tsonga) advanced to the semi-finals to further turn up the heat on Roger Federer in their two-man battle to finish the year No. 1 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings. Should Nadal continue on and win a 16th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, he would move within 305 points of Federer at the end of Paris. There are 1,500 points on offer for an undefeated champion at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

Also in Paris Friday, Polish duo Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski claimed the eighth and final doubles berth at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals when – for the second consecutive ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament – they defeated four-time ATP World Tour Doubles Champions Bob and Mike Bryan. That win eliminated the other team in contention, Wesley Moodie and Dick Norman.

The Polish duo qualified for their third year-end championship in the past four years. They collected two ATP World Tour titles for the third straight year, winning their first grass court title at Eastbourne (d. Parrott-Polasek) in mid-June and their first Asian title in Kuala Lumpur (d. Kunitsyn-Levinsky).

"With one of the deepest and most diverse line-ups in the 40-year history of the tournament, fans are in for a real treat as the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is set to light up The O2," said event chairman Phil Anderton. "Reigning Wimbledon and Roland Garros champion Roger Federer will resume his rivalry with 2009 Australian Open winner Rafael Nadal as the battle for the title of 2009 ATP World Tour Champion is decided in London. We also have the exciting young trio of Murray, defending champion Djokovic, and 2009 US Open winner Del Potro challenging, with the shot-making of Roddick, Davydenko and Verdasco adding extra spice. In doubles, Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic will be up against the Bryan brothers as the battle to become 2009 ATP World Tour Doubles Champions goes down to the wire at The O2."

Over 250,000 tickets have been sold and only a limited number of tickets remain. The O2 is set to be a fantastic host for the eight-day singles and doubles tournament. Tickets are available online through Ticketmaster or by calling 0844 847 2495 within the UK. Overseas customers should call +44 161 372 0025. For more information please visit www.BarclaysATPWorldTourFinals.com.