OPENING WEEK AT THE 2013 SONY OPEN FEATURING WORLD-CLASS LINEUP

Written by: Staff on 19th March 2013

OPENING WEEK AT THE 2013 SONY OPEN FEATURING WORLD-CLASS LINEUP

epa03609848 Serena Williams of the US hits a return shot to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus the BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden New York, New York, USA, 04 March 2013. EPA/ANDREW GOMBERT |

MIAMI, Fla. (www.SonyOpenTennis.com) – Fans will not have to wait until the weekend to catch star-studded matches at the 2013 Sony Open. Beginning Wednesday, the world’s best will take the court including Novak Djokovic, James Blake, Serena Williams, David Nalbandian, Venus Williams, David Ferrer, Maria Sharapova, Andy Murray, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Juan Martin Del Potro.

Wednesday’s day session features former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt as he will look to start his 2013 Sony Open run off strong. The night session on Wednesday features an extremely intriguing matchup with former World No. 4 James Blake taking on young rising American, Ryan Harrison in an all-american battle.

Thursday, March 21 only increases in star-studded action with 15-time Grand Slam champion and World No. 1 Serena Williams opening her 2013 Sony Open during the day session along with former World No. 3 David Nalbandian making his tournament debut. Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams will take court during the evening session, as well as Christian Harrison, an emerging American star and younger brother of Ryan Harrison.

The day and night sessions on Friday, March 22 are loaded with the best of the best featuring World No. 7 Juan Martin Del Potro, World No. 5 David Ferrer, and World No. 2 Maria Sharapova during the day. World No. 1 and two-time defending Sony Open champion Novak Djokovic will highlight the Friday evening session as he looks to win a record three consecutive Sony Open titles.

World No. 3 and last year’s U.S. Open Champion Andy Murray and World No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will headline the Saturday day sessions as they start-up their opening rounds. Murray, the 2009 Sony Open champion will attempt to avenge his finals loss in 2012 to Novak Djokovic.

Tickets to the 2013 Sony Open are on sale now and can be purchased by phone (305-442-3367) or via internet at www.sonyopentennis.com Don’t miss out on an electrifying two weeks of tennis, concluding with the women’s final on Saturday, March 30 and the men’s final on Sunday, March 31.

Wednesday, March 20:

Day Session – Lleyton Hewitt vs. Joao Sousa

7:30 p.m. – James Blake vs. Ryan Harrison

Christina McHale vs. Anett Kontaveit

Thursday, March 21:

Day Session – Serena Williams vs. TBD

David Nalbandian vs. Jarkko Nieminen

7:30 p.m. – Venus Williams vs. TBD,

Christian Harrison vs. Thomas Bellucci

Friday, March 22:

Day Session – Juan Martin Del Potro vs. TBD

David Ferrer vs. TBD

Maria Sharapova vs. TBD

7:30 p.m. – Novak Djokovic vs. TBD

Saturday, March 23:

Day Session – Andy Murray vs. TBD

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. TBD

ABOUT THE SONY OPEN: The 2013 Sony Open will be played March 18-April 31 at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Miami. The two-week combined event is owned and operated by IMG. The Sony Open is one of nine ATP Masters 1000 Series events on the ATP calendar, a Premier Mandatory event on the WTA calendar, and features the top men’s and women’s tennis players in the world. In 2012 Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray for his third Sony Open title, while Agnieszka Radwanska knocked off Maria Sharapova to capture her first title in Miami. For ticket information, call (305) 442-3367 or visit the website at www.SonyOpenTennis.com

ABOUT SONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS: Sony Mobile Communications is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation, a leading global innovator of audio, video, game, communications, key device and information technology products for both the consumer and professional markets. Through its Xperia™ smartphone portfolio, Sony Mobile Communications delivers the best of Sony technology, premium content and services, and easy connectivity to Sony’s world of networked entertainment experiences. For more information: www.sonymobile.com

ABOUT IMG: IMG Worldwide is a global sports, entertainment and media business, with nearly 3,000 employees operating in 30 countries around the globe. IMG’s areas of expertise are diverse and wide ranging: IMG College; IMG’s Joint Ventures in China, Brazil and India; IMG Media; IMG Events and Federations; IMG Fashion; IMG Models; IMG Art+Commerce; IMG Clients; IMG Academies; IMG Consulting and IMG Licensing. More information is available at www.imgworld.com.