JANKOVIC, PETROVA ENTER 2012 BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC

Written by: Staff on 22nd May 2012

JANKOVIC, PETROVA ENTER 2012 BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC

Jelena Jankovic of Serbia returns in her women's fourth round match against Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 22 January 2012. EPA/HOW HWEE YOUNG |

STANFORD, CA (www.BankOfTheWestClassic.com) – The player field at this year’s Bank of the West Classic got even stronger this week as former top-10 players Jelena Jankovic and Nadia Petrova entered the premier WTA event.

Former world No.1 Jankovic will be making her second appearance at the Bank of the West Classic where she looks to build on her impressive 12 career WTA singles titles. The 27-year-old Serbian has proven to play her best tennis on hard courts, reaching the quarterfinal of this year’s Australian open and the final of the U.S. Open in 2008.

In addition, 29 -year-old, Nadia Petrova will also join the player field at this year’s Bank of the West Classic. The Russian tennis star has been ranked as high as No. 3 in the world and has won a combined 28 WTA singles and doubles titles. Petrova’s aggressive style of play and strong serve have highlighted her career as she has reached at least the quarterfinals in all four major Grand Slam events.

The addition of Jankovic and Petrova adds to the Bank of the West Classic’s strong player field, as this year the tournament will also welcome back 13-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams and 2009 Bank of the West Classic Champion Marion Bartoli.

Current world No. 5, Williams will return to the Bay Area to defend her 2011 Bank of the West Classic title. Having won two WTA titles already this year at Charleston and Madrid, Williams will look to further build on her outstanding career.

Bartoli will also return to this year’s tournament for the fifth consecutive year as she looks to avenge her 2011 finals loss to Williams. The 28-year-old French star has appeared in three Bank of the West Classic finals in the last four years.

Guests at this year’s tournament will also have the exciting opportunity to see tennis legends Pete Sampras, Jim Courier and Michael Chang as they participate in a series of exhibition matches, July 11-13.

Tickets for the event, which will be held July 9-15 at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium on the campus of Stanford University, can be purchased by calling the box office at 866-WTA-TIXS (866-982-8497) or by logging on to www.BankoftheWestClassic.com.

Individual session tickets to the tournament’s opening round start at $26 with several weekend packages starting at $310.

The tournament is also offering a special three night package which includes tickets to all three exhibition matches starting at just $117.

The Bank of the West Classic, a premier WTA event, is now in its 42nd 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 Emirates Airline US Open Series.

The Bank of the West Classic offers several different seat options with prices to fit everyone’s budget so reserve your seats today. Qualifying will be held July 7-8 and is free to the public.

Log on to www.BankoftheWestClassic.com for more information.