STANFORD, Calif. (www.mubadalasvc.com) –  For the second consecutive year the Bank of the West Classic will team up with USTA Northern California and local public tennis organizations to host four 10 & Under and Family Play Days all over the Bay Area. Continuing the growth from last year’s tour, the Bank of the West Classic and our partners will host between 25 and 100 participants per Play Day.

 

The 2nd annual Road to the Bank of the West Classic will kick off on June 22, 2013 in Fremont, Calif., at American High School. With three other stops on this annual tour of youth tennis in the Bay Area, the Road to the Bank of the West Classic will continue to spread the sport to a broader audience.

 

These events give anyone without any prior tennis exposure a chance to learn more about the game while having fun all at the same time. The 10 & under participants will use USTA program rules, including specialized racquets, tennis balls and court sizing while family and adult Play Days utilize the full court. The Road to the Bank of the West Classic allows the tournament to stretch beyond tournament week and heighten exposure to tennis in the Bay Area, while allowing children without previous exposure to find out how special tennis can be.

 

Participants at each location will be able to enter a special raffle to win 2 tickets to the Bank of the West Classic Semi-finals!

 

Road to the Bank of the West Classic Schedule:

 

June 22, 2013 – Tennis For Fun, with professional Ravi Gill

June 29, 2013 – Palo Alto Tennis Club and City of Palo Alto

June 30, 2013 – San Jose State University Tennis, with coach Sylvain Malroux

July 13, 2013 – Foster City Tennis Club

 

Tickets for the 2013 Bank of the West Classic, which will be held July 22-28 at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium on the campus of Stanford University, can be purchased by calling the box office at 866-WTA-TIXS (866-982-8497) or by logging on to www.mubadalasvc.com.

 

In addition to individual-session tickets, the Bank of the West Classic is also offering several weekend packages starting at just $255.

 

Full-week packages start at just $595 and include tickets to all 13 sessions, a pass to the exclusive Plaza Club and an invitation to the Meet the Players Party. Those who purchase a pair of seats will also receive a weeklong VIP parking pass.

 

The Bank of the West Classic, a Premier WTA event, features a 28-player singles draw as well as a 16-team doubles draw. The event is owned and operated by IMG and serves as the opening women's event of the Emirates Airline US Open Series.

 

The list of past champions of the event reads like a Who's Who of women's tennis including Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Andrea Jaeger, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters.

 

The Bank of the West Classic offers several different seat options with prices to fit everyone's budget so reserve your seats today. Qualifying will be held July 20-21 and is free to the public.

 

Log on to www.mubadalasvc.com for more information.

 

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.