STANFORD, Calif. (www.mubadalasvc.com) – The 2013 Bank of the West Classic qualifying singles draw was announced Friday evening, featuring a 28-player field with matches scheduled over the next three days. Four qualifiers advance into the main draw, which begins Monday. Qualifying is free and open to the public.

 

The draw includes eight seeded players: No. 1 Olga Puchkova, No. 2 Michelle Larcher De Brito, No. 3 Sharon Fichman, No. 4 Alla Kudryavtseva, No. 5 Vera Dushevina, No. 6 Sacha Jones, No. 7 Gabriela Dabrowski, No. 8 Sachie Ishizu.

 

Puchkova is the only player in the qualifying draw ranked in the top-100, checking in at No. 75. After earning a first-round bye, she will play her first match on Sunday.

 

The Stanford women’s tennis program is well-represented in qualifying, with senior Kristie Ahn, sophomore Krista Hardebeck and recently-graduated Stacey Tan receiving wild cards. Ahn and Hardebeck notched key match clinchers during the Cardinal’s 2013 NCAA championship run while Tan finished her career as a member of two NCAA title teams.

 

Also participating in the draw is Coco Vandeweghe, who last year fell to eventual champion Serena Williams in the final. Vandeweghe became the first lucky loser to reach a WTA final since Melinda Czink’s runner-up finish at Canberra in 2007. 

 

ABOUT THE BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC: The Bank of the West Classic is the longest-running women-only professional tennis tournament in the world and is the first stop of the Emirates Airline US Open Series. Owned and operated by IMG, the WTA Premier event features a 28-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw with total prize money of $795,000. Held on Stanford University’s campus at Taube Family Tennis Stadium since 1997, former champions include: Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Andrea Jaeger, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters.

 

ABOUT BANK OF THE WEST:  Founded in 1874, $62 billion-asset Bank of the West (www.bankofthewest.com), member FDIC and equal housing lender, offers a full range of personal, commercial, wealth management and international banking services. The bank operates more than 600 retail and commercial banking locations in 19 Western and Midwestern states. Bank of the West is a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, which has a presence in 80 countries with nearly 200,000 employees.

 

ABOUT IMG: IMG Worldwide is a global sports, entertainment and media business, with nearly 3,000 employees operating in 30 countries around the globe. IMG’s areas of expertise are diverse and wide ranging: IMG College; IMG’s Joint Ventures in China, Brazil and India; IMG Media; IMG Events and Federations; IMG Fashion; IMG Models; IMG Art+Commerce; IMG Clients; IMG Academies; IMG Consulting and IMG Licensing. More information is available at www.imgworld.com.