From Press Services
With wildcards selected, the Pacific Life Open gets
underway
INDIAN WELLS, Calif., March 3, 2005 – Former Pacific
Life Open Champions Martina Hingis, Justine Henin-Hardenne and Lindsay Davenport
headline the WTA side of the 2006 Pacific Life Open, a combined WTA / ATP
event which runs March 6-19 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Southern
California.
Also joining the players
listed above with wildcards into the WTA main draw are Brenda Shultz McCarthy,
Alexandra Stevenson, Anna Tatishvili, Ashley Harkleroad, Vania King, Shenay
Perry, and one other female player to be named later.
"We are thrilled that Martina
Hingis is coming back to the Pacific Life Open," said Tournament Chairman
Charlie Pasarell. "Her comeback has been impressive and she is quickly returning
to her past form as the No. 1 player in the world. Our fans are in for a
treat when they watch her play."
This year the Pacific
Life Open held a pre-qualifier to determine a male and female qualifying
draw wildcard. Three local female teenagers, Coco Vandeweghe (Rancho Santa
Fe), Pam Montez (La Quinta) and Brittany Blalock (Palm Desert) will compete
for a spot in the women's qualifying draw. Vandeweghe will play Montez today
at 3:00 p.m. and the winner will face Blalock at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday at
the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
"We have so many kids
looking to gain entry into our tournament," said Pacific Life Open Tournament
Director Steve Simon. "The hardest part of my job is telling them they can't
get in to the qualifier. This pre-qualifier is a great way to give each of
them a chance to play their way onto the big stage."
The Pacific Life Open
officially begins on Monday, March 6 with the start of the women's qualifying
draw. The women's main draw and men's qualifying draw begin on Wednesday,
March 8 and the men's main draw begins on Friday, March 10. The tournament
will run through Sunday, March 19.
Tournament Info:
The first major combined
tennis event of the season on U.S. soil, the Pacific Life Open will be held
March 6-19, 2006 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif.
In 2005 more than 280,000 fans attended the tournament making it the most
attended non-Grand Slam tournament in the world. This year's event will again
feature over 250 of the top men's and women's players and will be broadcast
for more than 44 hours of live and tape-delayed coverage on ESPN2. For tickets
and info call the box office at (800) 999-1585 or visit
www.PacificLifeOpen.com. |
