MARTINA HINGIS TO PLAY IN MERCURY INSURANCE OPEN PRESENTED BY TRI-CITY MEDICAL CENTER PRO-AM EVENT

Written by: Staff on 21st July 2011

MARTINA HINGIS TO PLAY IN MERCURY INSURANCE OPEN PRESENTED BY TRI-CITY MEDICAL CENTER PRO-AM EVENT |

Carlsbad, Calif. (July 20, 2011) – Tennis legend Martina Hingis will play in the Mercury Insurance Open Presented by Tri-City Medical Center Tennis Pro-Am scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday, Aug. 1 at Rancho Valencia Resort, 5921 Valencia Circle, Rancho Santa Fe, tournament officials announced today.

Along with Hingis, the Mercury Insurance Open Tennis Pro-Am will feature several current professional players along with players from Southern California tennis clubs that won the opportunity to play in the event by generating the most Mercury Insurance quotes.

During her brilliant career, Hingis won the Australian Open singles title three straight years from 1997 to 1999. She also won Wimbledon and US Open singles championships in 1997. In addition to her success in singles, she captured 9 Grand Slam doubles titles and in 1998 became the fourth woman in history to complete a calendar-year Grand Slam in doubles.

On March 31, 1997, Hingis became the youngest player to achieve the No. 1 ranking at 16 years and 6 months. She is one of five players to hold the No. 1 ranking in singles and doubles simultaneously.

Hingis is a former two-time tournament singles champion in Carlsbad having won titles at The La Costa Resort and Spa in 1997, defeating Monica Seles 7-6 (4), 6-4, and in 1999, when she overcame Venus Williams, 6-4, 6-0. Hingis also teamed with Spain’s Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario to win the doubles championship in Carlsbad in 1997.

The public is invited to watch the Mercury Insurance Open Tennis Pro-Am and admittance is free.

The 2011 Mercury Insurance Open field will be highlighted by 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.

The Mercury Insurance Open, a Premier 700 Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) event offering $721,000 in prize money, will feature a 56-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw in 2011. The women’s professional tennis event returned to the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad in 2010 after a two-year hiatus. Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova won the singles title last summer when she defeated Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in the final. The tournament will be televised on the Tennis Channel and ESPN 2.

The Mercury Insurance Open is a participating tournament in the Olympus US Open Series. The US Open Series, now in its eighth year, is a six-week summer tennis season that links 10 ATP World Tour and WTA tournaments together. The series leads into the US Open. The Mercury Insurance Open is the second women’s event within the series. For additional information about the Mercury Insurance Open Presented by Tri-City Medical Center, log onto http://www.mercuryinsuranceopen.com/, join us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/SDTennis) or follow frequent updates on Twitter (http://twitter.com/MercuryInsOpen). Text “CARLSBAD” to 55333 to join the tournament’s VIP text club and receive up-to-the-minute news, tournament information and player announcements right on your mobile device. Standard text message rates apply.