The eyes of the women’s tennis world will soon shift to the La Costa Resort & Spa, when the 23rd edition of the Acura Classic kicks off on Saturday, July 29.
The tournament will run for a week, with the championship match set for Sunday, Aug. 6.
If several of the top players rebound from current injuries, fans at La Costa will get to see the likes of Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport and the 2005 Acura champ, Mary Pierce. All three withdrew from Wimbledon due to injuries.
Another pair of former Acura champs, Justine Henin-Hardenne and Venus Williams, are slated to play in San Diego. Pierce, currently ranked No. 5 on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, will be making her 10th appearance on the courts at La Costa. In addition to winning last year’s event, she was the runner-up to Davenport in 1998 after defeating Venus Williams, Martina Hingis and Conchita Martinez on her way to the finals.
Venus Williams is the only player in the last 23 years to have won the Acura Classic three years in a row (’00, ’01, ’02). Currently ranked No. 12 on the Tour, she will be returning to San Diego after a three-year hiatus to make her eighth appearance. Venus is a former world No. 1 and was the 2004 Wimbledon champion.
The 2006 Acura Classic announced recently that Russian tennis superstar Maria Sharapova has also entered this year’s tournament, as has former No. 1 player Martina Hingis.
According to tournament directors Raquel Giscafre and Jane Stratton, owners of Promotion Sports Inc., which owns and runs the Acura Classic, this year’s event should serve up another winner for local tennis fans.
“This year’s Acura Classic has attracted practically every one of the top tennis players in the world, including nine Grand Slam champions,” Giscafre noted.”Not only can the fans enjoy great tennis with these top players, but there’s lots of extra activities to enjoy, like the Acura Gallery, autograph sessions, good food and the beautiful environment of the La Costa Resort & Spa.”
Stratton added that local fans both know and enjoy their tennis when the tourney visits each summer.
“Compared to attendees at tournaments all over the world, the fans in San Diego are particularly knowledgeable about tennis and are also extremely eager to have a good time,” Stratton said. “The players always mention how great the fan support is in San Diego. That’s why they keep coming back every year to the tournament.”
Among the changes for this year’s event will be the addition of player challenges.
“Just like when you’re watching the tennis on TV and an instant replay shows whether the ball was in or out, this year we’ve added Hawk-Eye technology for the chair umpire, and the players can actually challenge the call if they think it was incorrect,” Giscafre said. “This allows a player to continue the game without worrying whether or not she got a good or bad call.”
The week’s events will also see the Acura Classic host its fourth annual charity event to benefit the Scripps Polster Breast Care Center on Thursday, Aug. 3 at 5 p.m. Hosted by tennis legend Pam Shriver, the event will consist of a gala dinner, with silent and live auctions to be held at the La Costa Resort & Spa.
Last year’s event raised a record $280,400 and this year the tournament has set its goal to break the record and raise more than $300,000 in a single night.
Organizers are encouraging all tennis fans to participate in the drive by either attending the tournament on Aug. 3 and donating at the “Fund-a-Mammogram” table in the Acura Pavilion, or by visiting the Acura Classic Web site (www.acuraclassic.com) to donate if they’re not able to attend the event.
For more information and to purchase tickets for the Acura Classic, fans can call the tournament box office, (760) 438-5683, or visit the Web site.