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The longest running professional sporting event in Los Angeles gets underway on Monday as the 2012 Farmers Classic will bring several top men's tennis players to Straus Stadium at UCLA. The 86th annual Farmers Classic has a 28-man singles field and a 16-team doubles field.
American players James Blake, Sam Querrey, and former USC Trojan Steve Johnson highlight the singles field, which also includes Nicholas Mahut, Leonardo Mayer, Igor Andreev, and Jesse Levine.
Ernest Gulbis won the 2011 singles title, while Mark Knowles and Xavier Malisse captured the doubles crown. Malisse is in the singles draw this year.
Television coverage of the Farmers Classic begins with the Round of 16 on Thursday on the Tennis Channel, with ESPN2 showing both singles semifinals on Saturday as well as Sunday's final.
For more news and notes on the 2012 Farmers Classic, be sure to read SB Nation Los Angeles as well as SB Nation's tennis hub.