STANFORD, Calif. (www.BankOfTheWestClassic.com) - Three-time Grand Slam Champion Lindsay Davenport has been forced to withdraw from the 2008 Bank of the West Classic due to a pre-existing right knee injury. Davenport will be replaced in the draw by Samantha Stosur (AUS).
“The Bank of the West Classic has been one of my favorite tournaments to play throughout my career,” said Davenport. “I’ve been lucky enough to win it three times and reach the final twice. Not being able to compete in 2008 is very disappointing as I’ve been looking forward to playing here all year. Unfortunately my (right) knee has not healed sufficiently since Wimbledon to allow me to compete. I know the fans will still get to enjoy some great tennis and I hope to be back on the courts soon.”
The 2008 Bank of the West Classic field is still one of the strongest in tournament history with eight of the top-20 ranked players in the world and 15 Olympians in the main singles draw.
The doubles draw includes the No. 1 ranked team in the world, Cara Black and Liezel Huber, as well as three teams that will be competing in Beijing this summer.
The Bank of the West Classic, a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event, 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 US Open Series.
The list of past champions of the event reads like a Who's Who of women's tennis including Davenport, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Andrea Jaeger, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters.
Single-session tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the box office at 866-WTA-TIXS (866-982-8497) or by logging on to www.BankoftheWestClassic.com. Tickets for the tournament's opening round start at just $23.
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.