Nadia Petrova Enters 2010 Mercury Insurance Open at La Costa Resort & Spa
Russian Star Defeated World No. 2 Venus Williams to Reach French Open Quarterfinals
Carlsbad, Calif. (June 2, 2010) - Tournament officials announced today that Sony Ericsson WTA Tour star Nadia Petrova has committed to play in the 2010 Mercury Insurance Open, scheduled for July 31 to Aug. 8 at the La Costa Resort and Spa.
Petrova, the 5-foot-10-inch Russian who is ranked No. 20 in the world, is coming off a quarterfinal finish at Roland Garros where she scored a thrilling 6-4, 6-3 fourth-round victory over second seeded Venus Williams. Earlier this year, Petrova also reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
The Moscow native will be making her eighth career tournament appearance this year at the La Costa Resort and Spa. Her best result here was a quarterfinal finish in 2003 and 2007. Petrova reached her career high singles ranking at No. 3 in the world in 2006.
"We are delighted to have an exciting player like Nadia Petrova enter our event," said Raquel Giscafre, Mercury Insurance Open tournament director. "In the past, she was always a fan favorite here in Carlsbad and I'm sure fans at La Costa will be thrilled to have the opportunity to watch her play again."
A strong field for the 2010 Mercury Insurance Open is starting to take shape as Petrova joins fellow Russians Dinara Safina and Svetlana Kuznetsova as well as Serbia's Ana Ivanovic and Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia among the tournament's early entries.
Reserved Grandstand and Box Seat tickets, which range from $10-$125, are now available online at mercuryinsuranceopen.com or through Ticketmaster at ticketmaster.com. Tournament Ticket Packages are also on sale now and begin at $70.
Special ticket discounts are also available for members of the United States Tennis Association and the La Costa Resort and Spa. For additional ticket information or to purchase tickets by phone, call (760) 930-7032.
The Mercury Insurance Open, a Premier 700 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event offering $700,000 in prize money, marks the return of women's professional tennis to Carlsbad after a two-year hiatus. The event will be televised on the Tennis Channel and ESPN 2 and will comprise one of the 10 events of the Olympus US Open Series.
About Mercury Insurance: Mercury Insurance (NYSE: MCY) is a multiple-line insurance organization offering predominantly personal automobile and homeowners insurance through a network of independent agents and brokers in California, Florida, New Jersey, Texas, Arizona, New York, Georgia, Oklahoma, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Since 1962, Mercury Insurance has demonstrated its commitment to customer satisfaction by offering quality insurance at affordable prices. Today, good service and good pricing are the core values that distinguish Mercury in the marketplace. For more information about Mercury Insurance, visit www.mercuryinsurance.com.
About the USTA: Now in its seventh season, the Olympus US Open Series has established itself as a true regular season of hard court tennis, linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. Fans can follow the action with nearly 200 hours of live television coverage, culminating each week with back-to-back men's and women's finals every Sunday afternoon. Players battle for more than $37 million and a chance for bonus prize money at the US Open. In 2008, Olympus became the first title sponsor of the Series. The Olympus US Open Series is also supported by sponsors American Express, Evian and Grand Marnier.
Sam Querrey won the 2009 Olympus US Open Series men's title and Elena Dementieva won the women's title. In 2007, Roger Federer collected the biggest paycheck in tennis history -- $2.4 million -- for winning US Open and the Olympus US Open Series. In 2005, Kim Clijsters also captured both the US Open and the Olympus US Open Series, winning $2.2 million -- the largest purse in women's sports history.
About Octagon Tennis: Octagon has a rich and proud history in the sport of tennis, having managed the careers of 63 Grand Slam Champions and 11 Olympic gold medalists over three decades. In addition, Octagon owns or manages more professional tennis events than any other agency with WTA and ATP events including the Kremlin Cup, Brasil Open, the Movistar Open and the Western & Southern Financial Group Championships, which is also part of the Olympus US Open Series, among others. For more information, please visit www.octagontennis.com.
# # #
Media Information:
J. Fred Sidhu, Media Coordinator, Mercury Insurance Open -
619.282.5706; 619.507.6943 (cell); This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Rick Schloss, Media Representative, Mercury Insurance Open -
619.308.4387; 619.708.6007 (cell); This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Carlsbad, Calif. (June 2, 2010) - Tournament officials announced today that Sony Ericsson WTA Tour star Nadia Petrova has committed to play in the 2010 Mercury Insurance Open, scheduled for July 31 to Aug. 8 at the La Costa Resort and Spa.
Petrova, the 5-foot-10-inch Russian who is ranked No. 20 in the world, is coming off a quarterfinal finish at Roland Garros where she scored a thrilling 6-4, 6-3 fourth-round victory over second seeded Venus Williams. Earlier this year, Petrova also reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
The Moscow native will be making her eighth career tournament appearance this year at the La Costa Resort and Spa. Her best result here was a quarterfinal finish in 2003 and 2007. Petrova reached her career high singles ranking at No. 3 in the world in 2006.
"We are delighted to have an exciting player like Nadia Petrova enter our event," said Raquel Giscafre, Mercury Insurance Open tournament director. "In the past, she was always a fan favorite here in Carlsbad and I'm sure fans at La Costa will be thrilled to have the opportunity to watch her play again."
A strong field for the 2010 Mercury Insurance Open is starting to take shape as Petrova joins fellow Russians Dinara Safina and Svetlana Kuznetsova as well as Serbia's Ana Ivanovic and Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia among the tournament's early entries.
Reserved Grandstand and Box Seat tickets, which range from $10-$125, are now available online at mercuryinsuranceopen.com or through Ticketmaster at ticketmaster.com. Tournament Ticket Packages are also on sale now and begin at $70.
Special ticket discounts are also available for members of the United States Tennis Association and the La Costa Resort and Spa. For additional ticket information or to purchase tickets by phone, call (760) 930-7032.
The Mercury Insurance Open, a Premier 700 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event offering $700,000 in prize money, marks the return of women's professional tennis to Carlsbad after a two-year hiatus. The event will be televised on the Tennis Channel and ESPN 2 and will comprise one of the 10 events of the Olympus US Open Series.
About Mercury Insurance: Mercury Insurance (NYSE: MCY) is a multiple-line insurance organization offering predominantly personal automobile and homeowners insurance through a network of independent agents and brokers in California, Florida, New Jersey, Texas, Arizona, New York, Georgia, Oklahoma, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Since 1962, Mercury Insurance has demonstrated its commitment to customer satisfaction by offering quality insurance at affordable prices. Today, good service and good pricing are the core values that distinguish Mercury in the marketplace. For more information about Mercury Insurance, visit www.mercuryinsurance.com.
About the USTA: Now in its seventh season, the Olympus US Open Series has established itself as a true regular season of hard court tennis, linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. Fans can follow the action with nearly 200 hours of live television coverage, culminating each week with back-to-back men's and women's finals every Sunday afternoon. Players battle for more than $37 million and a chance for bonus prize money at the US Open. In 2008, Olympus became the first title sponsor of the Series. The Olympus US Open Series is also supported by sponsors American Express, Evian and Grand Marnier.
Sam Querrey won the 2009 Olympus US Open Series men's title and Elena Dementieva won the women's title. In 2007, Roger Federer collected the biggest paycheck in tennis history -- $2.4 million -- for winning US Open and the Olympus US Open Series. In 2005, Kim Clijsters also captured both the US Open and the Olympus US Open Series, winning $2.2 million -- the largest purse in women's sports history.
About Octagon Tennis: Octagon has a rich and proud history in the sport of tennis, having managed the careers of 63 Grand Slam Champions and 11 Olympic gold medalists over three decades. In addition, Octagon owns or manages more professional tennis events than any other agency with WTA and ATP events including the Kremlin Cup, Brasil Open, the Movistar Open and the Western & Southern Financial Group Championships, which is also part of the Olympus US Open Series, among others. For more information, please visit www.octagontennis.com.
# # #
Media Information:
J. Fred Sidhu, Media Coordinator, Mercury Insurance Open -
619.282.5706; 619.507.6943 (cell); This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Rick Schloss, Media Representative, Mercury Insurance Open -
619.308.4387; 619.708.6007 (cell); This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
