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- Serbian Star Will Join #1 Justine Henin
and #2 Maria Sharapova,
Bringing World’s Top Three Players to La Costa --
SAN DIEGO, CA, June 21, 2007 – Promotion Sports, Inc. today
announced that Serbian tennis star Jelena Jankovic has entered the
2007 Acura Classic, to be held July 28 - August 5 at the La Costa
Resort & Spa. One of this year’s hottest players on the
Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, Jankovic is fresh from winning her first
grass court title, having defeated top seed Maria Sharapova in Birmingham,
England last week. She recently attained the world #3 ranking for
the first time after reaching the semifinals at this year’s
French Open, before losing to eventual winner Justine Henin. With
today’s announcement, the Acura Classic now boasts all three
of the world’s top-ranked players on its roster, including
#1 Justine Henin and #2 Maria Sharapova.
A native of Belgrade, Jankovic made her professional debut in 2001
and stunned the world at last year’s Wimbledon tournament
with her third-round, three-set defeat of defending champion Venus
Williams. She continued her drive at last year’s U.S. Open,
defeating 2004 U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena
Dementieva before losing to Justine Henin in the semifinal.
Jelena began this year with just one tour championship to her name
(Budapest, 2004). She became the first Serbian tennis player, male
or female, to break into the top ten rankings in late January, and
is currently tied with Henin for most 2007 title wins (4). In addition
to Birmingham, she has had tour victories in Auckland and Charleston,
as well as her first Tier I championship title in Rome.
Noted Promotion Sports’ Raquel Giscafré: “Jelena
is having a truly breakthrough year. Entering the top ten for the
first time in late January and rising so quickly to number three
is an unbelievably fast climb in tennis. We’re looking forward
to lots of excitement at La Costa this summer when she faces a field
that includes not only her rivals in the top three, Henin and Sharapova,
but so many of the world’s other leading players as well.”
Among the top players scheduled to compete at the 2007 Acura Classic
are four multiple Grand Slam champions, including Justine Henin,
Maria Sharapova, Martina Hingis and Serena Williams, as well as
this year’s French Open finalist, Ana Ivanovic.
Now in its 24th year, the Acura Classic is one of the premier events
on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and one of the largest women’s
tennis tournaments in the world. Past winners include Mary Pierce,
Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams, Martina Hingis, Steffi Graf and
Jennifer Capriati.
For more information and to purchase tickets for the Acura Classic,
fans can call the Tournament Box Office at 760-438-5683, or visit
www.acuraclassic.com. Free parking for attendees will be available
for opening weekend on Saturday and Sunday, July 28th and 29th.
Promotion Sports, Inc., which owns the Acura Classic and promotes
a variety of professional tennis events, is a private corporation
headquartered in Carlsbad, California. Founded in 1982 by Raquel
Giscafré and Jane Stratton, former professional tennis players,
the company is dedicated to promoting sports and women’s tennis
worldwide.
The Acura Classic is sponsored by American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
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