Event Info

DATE: July 9-15, 2012

SITE: Taube Family Tennis Stadium, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (Campus Drive &Sam McDonald Road).

TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR: Kim Hall

HISTORY: 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 Olympus US Open Series. Owned and operated by IMG, the WTA Premier event features a 28-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw with total prize money of $700,000. Held on Stanford University’s campus at Taube Family Tennis Stadium since 1997, former champions include: Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Andrea Jaeger, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters.

Founded in 1874, $58 billion-asset Bank of the West (www.bankofthewest.com) offers a full range of personal, commercial, wealth management and international banking services. The bank operates more than 700 retail and commercial banking locations in 19 Western and Midwestern states. Bank of the West is a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, one of the world's largest and best rated financial institutions with more than 200,000 employees in more than 80 countries.

FORMAT: A 28-player singles main draw, and a 16-team doubles main draw are held, all featuring best 2-out-of-3 set matches. A 32-player singles qualifying draw will be held for four main draw entries and a four-team doubles qualifying draw will be held for one main draw entry.

2011 DEFENDING CHAMPIONS: Singles: Serena Williams d. Marion Bartoli 7-5, 6-1; Doubles: Victoria Azarenka/Maria Kirilenko d. Liezel Huber/Lisa Raymond 6-1, 6-3

PRIZE MONEY: $700,000

TELEVISION: The semifinals and final will be broadcast on ESPN2, July 14th and 15th.