Bank of the West Classic To Host US Open National Playoff
STANFORD, CA (www.BankOfTheWestClassic.com) – The Bank of the West Classic will host the first-ever US 
Open National Playoffs as 16 women vie for a wild card entry into the 2010 US Open qualifying draw.
The US Open National Playoffs began with 16 sectional qualifying tournaments held throughout the country from April through June. In all, 373 women competed in hopes of making it to the final 16 at Stanford.
No player will be entering the 16-player playoff with more professional experience than 33-year-old Alina Jidkova, a Russian immigrant who won the Texas Sectional Qualifying. Jidkova’s professional résumé includes appearances in all four grand slams and a win over Serena Williams. Other favorites will be LSU’s only three-time singles All-American Megan Falcon, Southern California’s Kaitlyn Christian, and former top-100 local-favorite Romana Tedjakusuma from Tracy, CA.
The Women’s Championships will be held July 28-August 1, at The Taube Family Tennis Stadium during the Bank of the West Classic. The final will take place Sunday, August 1 following the women’s doubles final and will be broadcast live on Tennis Channel. In addition, Tennis Channel will air a one-hour documentary highlighting the inaugural year of the US Open National Playoffs.
Tickets for the 2010 Bank of the West Classic can be purchased by calling the box office at 866-WTA-TIXS (866-982-8497) or by logging on to www.BankoftheWestClassic.com. Single-session tickets for the tournament's opening round start at just $26.
The 2010 Bank of the West Classic will feature a 30-player singles draw and 16-team doubles draw. The official tournament draw, and first round match-ups, will be announced on Saturday, July 24.
In addition to individual session tickets, full-week packages start at just $575 and include tickets to all 13 sessions, a pass to the exclusive Grand Marnier Plaza Club and an invitation to the Meet the Players Party. Those who purchase a pair of seats will also receive a weeklong VIP parking pass and a Bank of the West Classic Tournament program.
The Bank of the West Classic is also offering several weekend packages starting at $240.
Entering its 40th year the Bank of the West Classic is the longest running women-only professional tennis tournament in the world. 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 and Kim Clijsters.
The event is owned and operated by IMG and serves as the opening women's event of the Olympus US Open Series. Qualifying will be held July 24-25 and is free to the public.
Log on to www.BankoftheWestClassic.com for more information.
US Open National Playoff Player Field
Section Winner
Eastern Katerina Sevcikova
Missouri Valley Megan Falcon
Southern California Kaitlyn Christian
Mid-Atlantic Eleanor Peters
Northern California Romana Tedjakusuma
New England Rachel Kahan
Florida Jan Abaza
Southwest Brittany Augustine
Hawaii Pacific Maureen Diaz
Midwest Evangeline Repic
Middle States Alexandra Mueller
Southern Samantha Powers
Northern Courtney Dolehide
Intermountain Jessica Pegula
Pacific Northwest Belinda Niu
Texas Alina Jidkova
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 Olympus US Open Series. A Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Premier event, the Bank of the West Classic features a 30-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw with total prize money of $700,000. 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: Based in San Francisco, $61 billion-asset Bank of the West (www.bankofthewest.com) offers a full range of business, corporate, personal, trust and international banking services. For the third year in a row, Bank of the West has been ranked "highest in customer satisfaction in retail banking" in California by J.D. Power and Associates. The Bank operates more than 700 branch locations and commercial banking offices in 19 Western and Midwestern states. Bank of the West's holding company, BancWest Corporation, is a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, among the six strongest banks in the world, according to Standard & Poor's.
