Anna Added to WTA Amelia Island
March 05 , 2008
Tournament officials for the Bausch & Lomb Championships announced today four of the top fifteen players on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour have committed to join in the singes main draw field. The 2008 Bausch & Lomb Championships is compiling a competitive field of returning champions, proven players and those players new to Amelia Island.
"Once again we are delivering a world class player field. These four players are a great representation of the new stars of the game. When you add these to the previously announced Davenport, Williams and Golovin, fans can be assured the '08 draw will be one of the strongest fields played to date on the 2008 Tour calendar," stated tournament director, John Arrix.
As a debut Bausch & Lomb Championships player and as one of the most talented young stars on the Tour, 20-year old, Anna Chakvetadze (chuk-veh-TAHD-zeh) enters the Bausch & Lomb Championships with seven Sony Ericsson WTA tour singes titles including a recent win this year at Paris. She sports a remarkable 7-0 score in Tour singles finals which began in 2006 with two wins (Guangzhou, Moscow) and in 2007 with four wins (Hobart, 's-Hertogenbosch, Cincinnati, Sanford). Currently ranked at No. 6 in the world, Russian, Chakvetadze has firmly entrenched her place among the world's Top 10.
No. 9 in the world, Frenchwoman, Marion Bartoli, brings three Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles titles to the court in her quest to win the Bausch & Lomb Championships trophy. In 2007, Bartoli was a two-time runner-up at Prague and Wimbledon where she celebrated her first major final experience. She was also a five-time 2007 semifinalist. Bartoli's best winning season to date was in 2006 when she captured each of her three Tour singles titles (Auckland, Tokyo, Quebec City). Displaying a two-handed swing on both sides, Marion Bartoli enters the 2008 Bausch & Lomb Championships for a fourth bid.
As the fourth committed Bausch & Lomb Championships titlist, No. 10 in the world, Elena Dementieva will return to Amelia Island for the sixth time. She captured the 2003 Bausch & Lomb Championships title by defeating Lindsay Davenport in three sets. Dementieva last played the Bausch & Lomb Championships the year following her title confirmation in 2004. In 2007, she collected two Tour singles titles; one at Istanbul and the second on her home soil and Tier 1 event in Moscow. Although she has played a disappointing early start in the 2008 season, with eight Tour singles titles, Elena will grace the familiar clay courts of the Bausch & Lomb Championships in hopes of turning her season around and capturing a second Bausch & Lomb Championships crown.
From Prague, Nicole Vaidisova, No. 14 in the world, has demonstrated a promising start to the 2008 Tour season with a semifinal finish at Sydney and a quarterfinal run at Gold Coast. In 2007, Vaidisova saw her third straight Top 20 finish. Last year, she reached her second career Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open and an outstanding quarterfinal finish at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Vaidisova's overall 2007 finishing record demonstrates her quest to regain her position as a Top 10 player by her quarterfinal or better finish at 10 of 14 events. Owning six Sony Ericsson WTA Tour titles, Vaidisova makes her second Bausch & Lomb Championships appearance.
The four newly committed players will join defending champion, Tatiana Golovin, 2002 former champion Venus Williams and 2004 champion Lindsay Davenport during the week of April 7 - 13 as the 2008 Bausch & Lomb Championships returns to the oceanfront resort of Amelia Island Plantation. For a consecutive 29th year, fans are guaranteed a week of world class tennis and exciting action both on and off the courts.
Tickets for the 2008 Bausch & Lomb Championships offer fans a variety of weeklong seating. General Admission tickets are available for each session and offer Premium or Standard Seating. A Weekend Series secures the same seat for the last four tournament sessions - Friday (day & night), Saturday and Sunday. Box Seat tickets are the closest seats to the court and secure the same seat for the duration of the tournament. A limited number of two-seat, four-seat and six-seat boxes are still available. Amenities include premium parking at Amelia Island Plantation, invitations to the Box Seat Holder's Brunch on Saturday, April 12 and recognition in the tournament program.
For additional information regarding tickets and packages call 800.486.8366 or visit the tournament web site at blchamps.com where tickets can now be purchased online.