Melanie Oudin

YOUNG AMERICAN TENNIS STAR MELANIE OUDIN SET TO PLAY IN MERCURY INSURANCE OPEN PRESENTED BY TRI-CITY MEDICAL CENTER

2009 US Open Quarterfinalist and U.S. Fed Cup Hero Will Make Her La Costa Resort and Spa Debut

Carlsbad, CA. (July 26, 2010) ­– Melanie Oudin, America’s tennis sweetheart, will play in the 2010 Mercury Insurance Open Presented by Tri-City Medical Center, tournament officials announced today. The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event is scheduled for July 31 – Aug. 8 at the La Costa Resort and Spa.

The 18-year-old Oudin, who was born and raised in Marietta, Ga., burst upon the tennis scene last summer when she defeated 29th seeded Sybille Bammer of Austria, and 6th seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, on her way to a fourth-round finish at Wimbledon.

At the 2009 US Open, Oudin captured the hearts of tennis fans as she made a spirited run to the quarterfinals defeating Russians Elena Dementieva (No. 4 seed), Maria Sharapova (No. 29 seed), and Nadia Petrova (No. 13 seed), along the way.

After seeing her ranking jump from 177 in the world in 2008 to 49 in the world last year, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour recognized Oudin as the 2009 Tour Newcomer of the Year. The young American also helped lead the United States Fed Cup team to the World Group Fed Cup Final in 2009 and 2010.

Earlier this year in February, Oudin reached the semifinals of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour indoor event in Paris and in April, she attained her career high singles ranking of 31 in the world. Oudin is currently ranked 44 in the world (as of July 26, 2010).

“We are delighted to have a young up-and-coming American like Melanie Oudin in our tournament,” said Raquel Giscafre, Mercury Insurance Open tournament director. “She is a very exciting player to watch and she brings so much energy to the court. This will be the first opportunity fans will have to see her play at La Costa.”

In addition to Oudin, the Mercury Insurance Open player field includes Jankovic, ranked No. 2 in the world, 2010 French Open finalist Samantha Stosur, 2010 Wimbledon finalist Vera Zvonareva and her fellow Russians Dinara Safina, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Petrova. Other players entered include Serbian Ana Ivanovic, Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

Former two-time tournament champion Lindsay Davenport has accepted a wild card into the Mercury Insurance Open doubles competition, where she will partner with fellow American Liezel Huber.

“This year’s Mercury Insurance Open features an incredibly strong field,” said Giscafre. “I encourage fans to get their tickets early because we certainly don’t want anyone to miss out.”

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 and begin at $70. For additional ticket information or to purchase tickets by phone, call (760) 930-7032.

The Triumph Over Breast Cancer Benefit Auction, Thursday, Aug 5, 5-7 p.m. is one of the many exciting events happening in addition to the tennis – all proceeds will fund state-of-the-art biopsy equipment at Tri-City Medical Center’s Edgar and Jo Anne Jones Women’s Diagnostic Center. The benefit includes a cocktail reception, live and silent auctions and reserved seats for the night session matches. Tickets are $125 each. Call (760) 930-3072 to purchase your tickets or for more information.

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 Tennis Channel and ESPN 2, and will comprise one of the 10 events of the Olympus US Open Series. For additional information about the Mercury Insurance Open, log onto http://www.mercuryinsuranceopen.com/, join us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/SDTennis), or follow frequent updates on Twitter (http://twitter.com/MercuryInsOpen).