Stanford, California – The Bank of the West Classic announced today that Serena Williams will begin defense of her singles title at 7 pm on Wednesday, August 5 (Session 6) while former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki will make her Stanford debut at 7 pm on Thursday, August 6 (Session 8).
The potential opponents for both players will be known following the official draw ceremony on Friday, July 31.
Tickets for the Bank of the West Classic are on sale now. Inpidual tickets to the tournament’s opening round start at just $33 while ticket packages start at $205. For more information, or to purchase tickets, go to www.mubadalasvc.com or call 866-WTA-TIXS (866-982-8497).
Williams, a three-time Bank of the West Classic singles champion, has been dominant in 2015 winning the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon singles titles. She is attempting to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1988 to complete the calendar Grand Slam. Williams has 21 career Grand Slam singles titles to her credit and trails only Graf (22) for the most by a woman in Open Era.
Wozniacki, winner of 23 career WTA singles titles, will be making her first Bank of the West Classic appearance. The former world No. 1 has reached the quarterfinals or better at seven events this year, including a victory in Kuala Lumpur, and is currently ranked No. 5 in the world.
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.
Qualifying will be held August 1-2 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 $731,000. 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, $62.4 billion-asset Bank of the West (www.bankofthewest.com), member FDIC and equal housing lender, offers a wide range of personal, commercial, wealth management and international banking services. The bank operates more than 700 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.