FANS at the XL Capital Open next week will be able to see exactly how fast big-serving Greg Rusedski is hitting the ball with the help of a serve speedometer being used at the tournament for the first time.

Rusedski's booming serve has been clocked at 149 miles per hour and he held the world record until Andy Roddick hit a 150 mph serve in a Davis Cup match between the US and Austria two months ago.

The machine's introduction to the tournament had nothing to do with the appearance of Rusedski and his rocket serve, said tournament director Alec Anderson, but it would add to the fun for spectators.

"It's one of the more interesting athletic questions about tennis: How do you return a tennis ball when it's coming at you at more than 140 mph?" Anderson said.

"The hand-eye coordination necessary and the athletic ability needed are remarkable. Even in Major League Baseball, the fastest pitch anyone's likely to face is going to be about 96 mph."

Rusedski's appearance this year means the three fastest servers on record ? Roddick, Rusedski and Taylor Dent ? will have played at Coral Beach over the past three years.

The recruitment of Rusedski, a US Open finalist in 1997 when he was beaten by Patrick Rafter, is a major boost for the Open.

The 30-year-old left-hander has consistently been among the top 20 ranked players in the world and has recorded victories against Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Lleyton Hewitt, Marat Safin, Gustavo Kuerten and Andy Roddick.

In 1997, the year he played in the championship match at Flushing Meadows, he reached his career-best ranking of number four.

He made sport headlines earlier this year when it was announced that he had tested positive for the banned substance nandrolone in July of last year. He ardently denied any wrongdoing and won his case in front of an Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tribunal on March 10.

The source of the nandrolone was thought to be supplements distributed to players by the ATP. Seven other players tested positive last year, but no action was taken against them.

Rusedski's 2003 was disrupted by injury and his year to date by the drugs controversy and hence his ranking has fallen to 105 and he is eligible to play in Bermuda's Challenger tournament.

"It's certainly exciting to have a player of Rusedski's stature here and he should be quite a big draw," Anderson said. "He's had a pretty consistent ranking in the top ten.

"I hope he plays well but it should be quite challenging for him as it's on clay and he obviously prefers faster surfaces."

Moves were under way this week to add Nicolas Lapentti to the field. Should the Ecuadorian play, he would be installed as top seed as the highest-ranked player in the field.

Lapentti was a Coral Beach semi-finalist in 1999, the year he also reached the last four of the Australian Open and finished in the top eight in the world.

Giovanni Lapentti, brother of Nicolas, is also in the singles field and the siblings would also likely team up in the doubles.

The XL singles title has more often than not gone to a South American in its 11-year history. This year the continent's challenge will again be strong, with six Argentines in the field.

They include 2001 winner Jos? Acasuso and Franco Squillari, two clay-court specialists who will be tough to beat. Then there is Luis Horna of Peru, a former Open semi-finalist who enjoyed the most consistent year of his career in 2003. Apart from Lapentti, Horna's entry ranking of 59 is the highest in the draw.

Anderson said American Michael Russell, a popular figure with the Coral Beach aficionados in recent years, has signed up for this year.

"Mike was out injured for 15 months and this will be just his third tournament back," Anderson said.

Three years ago, Russell, who started as a qualifier, made a storming run to the semi-finals, where he was the unfortunate loser in one of the most exciting matches in Open history. Spain's David Sanchez eventually edged it, but only after Russell had fluffed five match points.

Players who shine in Bermuda often go on to do well on the bigger stages and so it was with Russell who the following month made it to the last 16 of the French Open where he came within a point of beating the eventual champion Gustavo Kuerten.

Hyung-Taik Lee, a 2002 Open semi-finalist, was another who went on to achieve great things after his appearance in Bermuda. A few months later, the Korean won his first ATP title in Sydney, in the process beating Roddick, Safin and Juan Carlos Ferrero. Lee returns this year. Another one to watch, according to Anderson, will be 19-year-old Canadian Davis Cup player Frank Dancevic. The youngster won two Challenger titles last year and also beat Brazilian Flavio Saretta ? winner of back-to-back titles at Coral Beach in 2002 and 2003 ? in a Davis Cup clash.

Former Bermuda resident Patrick Rafter has been a big supporter of the Open and has frequently played in exhibition singles matches there. Local fans will not see the retired former two-time US Open champion in action this year however.

"Patrick will not be coming this year, but I understand he has expressed an interest in coming next year," Anderson said.

"But there will be an exhibition before the singles final on Sunday, featuring the Legends, Mikael Pernfors, John Lloyd, Ross Case and Tom Gullikson."

Qualifying at the Coral Beach & Tennis Club, Paget, starts at 9 a.m. tomorrow and continues from 10 a.m. on Sunday. Admission is free.

Main draw sessions of play start at 11 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. from Monday to Friday next week, with the semi-finals starting at 2 p.m. on the Saturday and the finals starting at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 25. Tickets will be available on the gate.