BARTOLI, BONDARENKO WINS HIGHLIGHT OPENING NIGHT
STANFORD, Calif.- Sixth-seeded Marion Bartoli cruised to a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Akgul Amanmuradova on Monday night, highlighting the opening round of main draw singles play at the 2008 Bank of the West Classic at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium on the campus of Stanford University.
Kateryna Bondarenko and Sybille Bammer were also victorious in their first round matches, winning by identical 7-5, 6-2 margins.
The day also marked the start of doubles play, with the world’s top-ranked duo of Cara Black and Liezel Huber posting a 6-4, 6-3 win in its first round matchup over Natalie Grandin and Angela Haynes.
Meanwhile, the final round of singles qualifying came to a close with four entrants punching their tickets to the main draw. Melinda Czink downed Meng Yuan 6-0, 6-4, Aleksandra Wozniak topped Samantha Stosur 6-4, 6-2, Michelle Larcher De Brito defeated Georgie Stoop 6-4, 6-0 and Anne Keothavong had little trouble dispatching of Julie Coin 6-1, 6-0.
The 15-year-old Larcher De Brito kickstarted her impressive run through the qualifying bracket when she breezed past top-seed Marta Domachowska on Saturday, while Keothavong has surrendered only nine games during her three-match winning streak.
Bartoli, the 2007 Wimbledon finalist, was in command throughout against Amanmuradova in an easy 6-1, 6-3 victory. Bondarenko outlasted Harkleroad 7-5 in the first set before icing the match with a 6-2 second-set win in the nightcap.
Earlier in the day, Alisa Kleybanova grinded out a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over Elena Vesnina and Ai Sugiyama registered a 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 triumph over Alexa Glatch.
In doubles action, Black and Huber lived up to their No. 1 ranking with a solid 6-4, 6-3 victory.
The first doubles match of the tournament saw Anne Yelsey and Riza Zalameda defeat Kelly Anderson and Patty Schnyder 6-3, 2-6, (10-5). Rivals during their college years at Stanford and UCLA, respectively, Yelsey and Zalameda looked sharp in a battle of wild card entries.
Tickets for the tournament’s opening rounds start at just $23. 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.
The Bank of the West Classic, a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event, will be played July 14-20 at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium at Stanford University and 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.
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.