Sharapova, Dementieva Commit to 2010 Bank of the West Classic
STANFORD, CA (www.BankOfTheWestClassic.com) – Three-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova and current world No. 5 Elena Dementieva will be returning to the Bank of the West Classic in 2010.
Sharapova, one of the world’s most recognizable athletes, has won 20 career Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles titles including Grand Slam championships at Wimbledon (2004), US Open (2006) and Australian Open (2008).
“I am very excited to be returning to the Bank of the West Classic,” said Sharapova. “Last year was my first time at Stanford and I was impressed with the atmosphere around the site and the tremendous support I received from the fans. I hope to see everyone out there again this year.”
The former world No. 1 made her return to the Tour in May 2009 after missing nearly nine months due to shoulder injury and went on to reach the quarterfinal or better at seven of 10 events including her 20th career singles title in Tokyo.
Last year, in her first appearance at the Bank of the West Classic, Sharapova advanced to the quarterfinal which included a straight set win over 10th-ranked Nadia Petrova.
The 2010 Bank of the West player field will also be bolstered by the return of 2008 Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva.
Currently ranked No. 5 in the world, Dementieva has won 15 career Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles titles including wins at Auckland, Sydney and Toronto in 2009. In addition, she advanced to the semifinals or better in 10 events last season including the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
She has started off the 2010 season in strong form defending her Medibank International title in Sydney with a dominating 6-3, 6-2 win over world No. 1 Serena Williams.
Dementieva, who reached the semifinals at last year’s Bank of the West Classic, will be making her second career appearance at Stanford.
The 2010 Bank of the West Classic will be held July 26-August 1 at the Taube Family Tennis Center on the campus of Stanford University. For more ticket information call the Bank of the Wes tClassic 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 Olympus US Open Series. A Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Premier event, the Bank of the West Classic will be held July 26-August 1 and 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, $64 billion-asset Bank of the West (www.bankofthewest.com) offers a full range of business, corporate, personal, trust and international banking services. The Bank operates more than 700 branch locations and commercial banking offices in 19 Western and Midwestern states. In 2009, for the second consecutive year, Bank of the West was ranked the 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 a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, among the six strongest banks in the world, according to Standard & Poor's.
