STANFORD, Calif. (www.BankOfTheWestClassic.com) – Sony Ericsson WTA Tour professional Patty Schnyder, Tournament Director Adam Barrett, Tournament Referee Brad Taylor and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour supervisor Pam Whytcross were on hand for the 2008 Bank of the West Classic Draw ceremony on Friday at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium on the campus of Stanford University.
The top-four seeds, Serena Williams (1), Anna Chakvetadze (2), Vera Zvonareva (3), and Daniela Hantuchova (4), each received a first-round bye.
“It is a nice atmosphere,” said the fifth-seeded Schnyder. “The crowd supports many different players and over the years I have had my fans here as well, so it makes me want to come back every year. With all of the helpers and volunteers, the tournament is really well-organized. Many of the players say they like to come here and start the US Open Series.”
Highlighting first-round play will be the match-up between former No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam champion Lindsay Davenport and the eighth-seeded Francesca Schiavone.
The bottom-quarter of the draw features the 2007 defending singles champion Anna Chakvetadze, defending doubles champions Sania Mirza and Shahar Peer, and the sixth-seed, Marion Bartoli.
The Bank of the West Classic will serve as an Olympic preview as a total of 23 players currently scheduled to play will compete for the Gold medal later this summer at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Of the group, 16 were announced as part of the Bank of the West Classic main singles draw.
Additionally, the tournament main draw features 15 players who are currently ranked No. 1 in their respective countries.
Former Stanford University singles champion Amber Liu returns to the tournament after receiving a wildcard. Liu, a two-time NCAA singles champion, will be playing Schnyder.
A Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event, the Bank of the West Classic 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.
The list of past champions of the event reads like a Who’s Who of women’s tennis including Lindsay Davenport, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Andrea Jaeger, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Venus Williams, Kim Clijsters and Anna Chakvetadze.
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.
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.