STANFORD, Calif. (www.BankOfTheWestClassic.com) – Defending Bank of the West Classic Champion Anna Chakvetadze and Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series driver Memo Gidley participated in a hitting session on a make-shift tennis court Monday afternoon on Treasure Island in San Francisco.
Chakvetadze is the No. 2 seed at the Bank of the West Classic held on the Stanford University campus at the Taube Family Tennis Center from July 14-20, while Gidley is promoting his upcoming participation at the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County held August 22-24.
Gidley, who is making his return to the No. 77 Kodak Doran Ford, has already recorded three-top 10 finishes including a best finish of fifth at Watkins Glen in New York.
Midway through the 15-minute hitting session, the two decided to play a six-point tie-breaker. Despite a strong performance the Mexican native fell to Chakvetadze, 6-4.
Following the hitting session Gidley gave the young Russian a tour of an Indy Car and then both participated in photos and interviews in front of a large contingent of media members.
Tickets for the opening rounds of the Bank of the West Classic start at just $23. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call the box office at 866-WTA-TIXS (866-982-8497) or log on to www.BankoftheWestClassic.com.
The Bank of the West Classic, a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event, will be played July 14-20 at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium at Stanford University 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.
ABOUT THE BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC: The Bank of the West Classic is the longest-running women-only professional tennis tournament in the world and is the first stop of the US Open Series. A Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Tier II event, the Bank of the West Classic features a 28-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw with total prize money of $600,000. Held on Stanford University’s campus at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium since 1997, former champions include: Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Andrea Jaeger, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport and Venus Williams. The Bank of the West Classic is owned and operated by IMG.
ABOUT BANK OF THE WEST: Founded in 1874 and headquartered in San Francisco, $62 billion-asset Bank of the West is the second-largest commercial bank based in California. Bank of the West offers a full range of business, trust, international and personal banking services. The bank currently operates more than 700 commercial and retail banking locations in 19 Western and Midwestern states. In 2008, Bank of the West ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction among Retail Banks in the West” by J.D. Power and Associates. Bank of the West's holding company, BancWest Corporation, is owned by BNP Paribas, a leading global financial services institution ranked by Standard & Poor's as one of the world's four strongest banks. More information is available at www.bankofthewest.com.