Mercury Insurance Open 2011

Written by: Staff on 4th July 2011

Mercury Insurance Open 2011 |

STACEY TAN EARNS MERCURY INSURANCE OPEN PRESENTED

BY TRI-CITY MEDICAL CENTER QUALIFYING WILD CARD

Nineteen-year-old Lakewood Resident Captures Opportunity Tournament Title

Pacific Palisades, Calif. (July 4, 2011) – Third-seeded Stacey Tan of Lakewood defeated Maureen Diaz of Glendale, 6-3, 6-0, to win the Mercury Insurance Open Presented by Tri-City Medical Center Opportunity Tournament at the Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades on Sunday, July 3.

The 19-year-old Tan, an All-American at Stanford University who reached the singles final of the 2011 NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championships this past May, will receive a wild card into the qualifying draw of the Mercury Insurance Open which begins July 30 at The La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad.

“It feels great. It was a tough tournament and the competition level was pretty high,” said Tan following her straight-set victory over Diaz.

It was the second straight year Tan defeated Diaz in the final of the Mercury Insurance Open Opportunity event at the Riviera Tennis Club. After winning last year’s Opportunity Tournament, Tan received a wild card into the Mercury Insurance Open qualifying singles draw, where she fell to Greta Arn of Hungary, 6-0, 6-3 in the first round.

Despite last year’s loss, Tan said the experience she gained playing in the qualifying draw helped her to focus on improving her game. “I’m really excited,” she said. “I’m going to prepare my best and hopefully do better this year, than I did last year.”

A four-time MVP and high school All-American in tennis at Lakewood High School, Tan recently completed her sophomore year at Stanford University where she compiled a 32-10 record in singles. This last May, she became only the 10^th unseeded player to appear in an NCAA singles final.

The second Mercury Insurance Open Opportunity Tournament will take place July 6-9 at the Laguna Niguel Racquet Club in Laguna Niguel. The third and final Mercury Insurance Open Opportunity Tournament will be held July 13-17 at the San Diego Tennis & Racquet Club in San Diego. The winner of each tournament will receive a wild card into the qualifying draw of the 2011 Mercury Insurance Open.

The 2011 Mercury Insurance Open field will be highlighted by Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, two-time defending US Open champion and reigning Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters, former world #1 Ana Ivanovic, current world #3 Vera Zvonareva, 2010 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, 2010 runner up Agnieszka Radwanska and other top stars on the WTA Tour including Daniela Hantuchova, Flavia Pennetta, Andrea Petkovic, Julia Goerges, Coco Vandeweghe, Christina McHale and Melanie Oudin.

Individual tickets are now on sale for the 2011 Mercury Insurance Open, July 30 to August 7 at the La Costa Resort and Spa. Reserved grandstand and box seat tickets, which range from $10-$125, are now available online at mercuryinsuranceopen.com or through Ticketmaster at ticketmaster.com. Tournament ticket packages are also on sale and begin at $70.