OFFICIAL BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC DRAW CEREMONY TO TAKE PLACE FRIDAY AT STANFORD SHOPPING CENTER

Written by: Staff on 22nd July 2011

OFFICIAL BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC DRAW CEREMONY TO TAKE PLACE FRIDAY AT STANFORD SHOPPING CENTER

Maria Sharapova of Russia reacts after losing the women's singles final against Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 02 July 2011. EPA/NEIL MUNNS |

Stanford, CA (www.BankOfTheWestClassic.com) – The official 2011 Bank of the West Classic Draw Ceremony will be held at the Center Pavilion in Palo Alto’s upscale Stanford Shopping Center on Friday, July 22 at 6 pm.

The ceremony will feature an appearance and autograph signing by 2011 Wimbledon quarter-finalist Marion Bartoli. Bartoli also reached the semifinals of the French Open earlier this year, and won the 2009 Bank of the West Classic title. She is currently ranked No. 9 in the world.

Stanford Shopping Center is located at 660 Stanford Shopping Center and is host to five large department stores and many international luxury retailers.

The impressive 2011 Bank of the West Classic player field includes three of the four 2011 Wimbledon semi-finalists including three time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova, World No. 4 Victoria Azarenka and rising German star Sabine Lisicki.

The field also boasts 13-time Grand Slam Champion Serena Williams, 2011 French Open semi-finalist Marion Bartoli, former World No. 1 Ana Ivanovic, and World No. 10 Samantha Stosur.

The 2011 Bank of the West Classic will be held from July 25th – 31st. Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at 866-WTA-TIXS (866-982-8497) or by logging on to www.BankoftheWestClassic.com. Single-session tickets for the tournament’s opening round start at just $26.

In addition to single-session tickets, fans can also purchase Daily Double passes to attend both the day and evening sessions for as little as $45. Attendees may also pre-purchase parking passes for the event for just $10.

Full-week packages start at just $575 and include tickets to all 13 sessions, a pass to the exclusive Plaza Club and an invitation to the Meet the Players Party. Those who purchase a pair of seats will also receive a weeklong VIP parking pass and a Bank of the West Classic Tournament program.

Weekend packages start at only $240.

The Bank of the West Classic, a WTA Premier event, is now in its 41st year and features a 28-player singles draw as well as a 16-team doubles draw. The event is owned and operated by IMG and serves as the opening women’s event of the Olympus US Open Series.