STANFORD, Calif. (www.BankOfTheWestClassic.com) – The 2008 Bank of the West Classic field got even stronger on Thursday with the addition of Russian standout Vera Zvonareva, a six-time Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles champion and currently the 14th ranked player in the world.
Zvonareva is a three-time Grand Slam champion capturing the 2006 US Open doubles title and mixed doubles crowns at the 2004 US Open and 2006 Wimbledon. She has put together a solid season in 2008 reaching four finals this year including a victory in Prague. In addition she advanced to the semifinals of the Tier I Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.
Zvonareva strengthens an already strong player field. For the first time since 2002 the Bank of the West Classic field boasts four players ranked in the top-10 including eight time Grand Slam Champion Serena Williams (No. 6), defending Bank of the West Classic Champion Anna Chakvetadze (No. 8), Russian standout and 2008 Wimbledon semifinalist Elena Dementieva (No. 5), and 2007 Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli (No. 10).
The Bank of the West Classic’s impressive field also features former World No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam Champion Lindsay Davenport, 2007 Bank of the West Classic finalist Sania Mirza, Slovakian star and World No. 12 Daniela Hantuchova, former World No. 3 and seven-time Tour winner Nadia Petrova, 10-time Tour winner Patty Schnyder, three-time Tour winner and two-time defending Bank of the West Classic doubles champion Shahar Peer, six-time Tour winner Ai Sugiyama and Chinese star Li Na.
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.