ST PETERSBURG, FL, USA – The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced today that Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, winner of 29 WTA singles titles and 69 doubles titles, will play in the WTA Legends Classic at the 2015 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore, presented by SC Global. This year’s WTA Finals features a record $7 million purse and includes an expanded format featuring eight days of competition taking place from October 23-November 1. The event will be hosted in Singapore through 2018.
The Spanish sporting icon, who joins fellow great Martina Navratilova in the four-woman WTA Legends Classic field, will also support and promote the “Road to Singapore”, a season-long campaign that follows the WTA stars, WTA Rising Stars and WTA Future Stars on their quest to qualify and compete in the season finale.
The Spanish sporting icon, who joins fellow great Martina Navratilova in the four-woman WTA Legends Classic field, will also support and promote the “Road to Singapore”, a season-long campaign that follows the WTA stars, WTA Rising Stars and WTA Future Stars on their quest to qualify and compete in the season finale.
“I am so excited to be playing in Singapore for the first time since my first big overseas trip when I was 14 years old,“ said Sanchez-Vicario, who qualified for the season-ending finals 11 times during her career, finishing runner-up to Steffi Graf in singles in 1993, and winning the doubles title twice with Jana Novotna. “I’ve heard so many great things about last year’s WTA Finals, and can’t wait to feel the energy of the fans for myself.”
Sanchez-Vicario is one of the most accomplished women in Open Era tennis. She won four Grand Slam singles titles, three of them on the red clay of Roland Garros (1989, 1994, 1998) as well as the US Open in 1994. She also collected six Grand Slam doubles titles and in February 1995 became the second woman, after Navratilova, to rank No.1 simultaneously in singles and doubles. In addition, she helped Spain to five Fed Cup trophies and is her country’s most decorated Olympian as a four-time medalist. She was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2007.
“Arantxa is celebrated for her tenacity, spirit and love of the game, which enabled her to build an incredible connection with fans around the world,” said Stacey Allaster, WTA Chairman and CEO. “Tennis fans in Singapore are in for a treat as she joins an amazing line-up of past, present and future champions for a celebration of the world’s best – athletes who truly have the power to inspire generations to come.”
The current Road to Singapore leaderboard is comprised of the following players (as of Monday, May 25): 1. Serena Williams, 2. Simona Halep, 3. Maria Sharapova, 4. Carla Suarez Navarro, 5. Petra Kvitova, 6. Karolina Pliskova, 7. Caroline Wozniacki, 8. Angelique Kerber. The leaderboard is updated each Monday and can be found at www.wtafinals.com.
Singapore became the ninth city to host the WTA Finals in 2014 joining Boca Raton (1972-73), Los Angeles (1974-76, 2002-05), Oakland (1978), New York City (1977, 1979-2000), Munich (2001), Madrid (2006-07), Doha (2008-10) and Istanbul (2011-13).
Last year, new milestones were set at the WTA Finals with record highs for attendance, TV viewing and online audiences as fans from around the world traveled to Singapore and tuned in to the exciting 10-day sport entertainment extravaganza showcasing the world’s best female athletes. The event attracted 129,000 spectators and 93,000 fans attended to the Singapore Sports Hub to enjoy 10 days of on- and off-court sport and entertainment in the stadium, as well as in the fan festival which offered free access to the public.
In 2015, fans and spectators of the WTA Finals can expect the WTA to amplify engagement efforts by building a deeper connection with the fan base, delivering richer, more compelling digital content and creating money can’t buy experiences all in an effort to further its vision to become the most fan-friendly sport entertainment experience on earth.
Tickets for the general public start at S$16.90 and can be purchased through Sports Hub Tix www.sportshub.com.sg/WTAFinals, the official ticketing partner of the 2015 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. Log on to the WTA Finals website www.WTAFinals.com for more information and follow on Twitter (@WTAFinalsSG) and Facebook (facebook.com/WTAFinalsSG).
Sanchez-Vicario is one of the most accomplished women in Open Era tennis. She won four Grand Slam singles titles, three of them on the red clay of Roland Garros (1989, 1994, 1998) as well as the US Open in 1994. She also collected six Grand Slam doubles titles and in February 1995 became the second woman, after Navratilova, to rank No.1 simultaneously in singles and doubles. In addition, she helped Spain to five Fed Cup trophies and is her country’s most decorated Olympian as a four-time medalist. She was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2007.
“Arantxa is celebrated for her tenacity, spirit and love of the game, which enabled her to build an incredible connection with fans around the world,” said Stacey Allaster, WTA Chairman and CEO. “Tennis fans in Singapore are in for a treat as she joins an amazing line-up of past, present and future champions for a celebration of the world’s best – athletes who truly have the power to inspire generations to come.”
The current Road to Singapore leaderboard is comprised of the following players (as of Monday, May 25): 1. Serena Williams, 2. Simona Halep, 3. Maria Sharapova, 4. Carla Suarez Navarro, 5. Petra Kvitova, 6. Karolina Pliskova, 7. Caroline Wozniacki, 8. Angelique Kerber. The leaderboard is updated each Monday and can be found at www.wtafinals.com.
Singapore became the ninth city to host the WTA Finals in 2014 joining Boca Raton (1972-73), Los Angeles (1974-76, 2002-05), Oakland (1978), New York City (1977, 1979-2000), Munich (2001), Madrid (2006-07), Doha (2008-10) and Istanbul (2011-13).
Last year, new milestones were set at the WTA Finals with record highs for attendance, TV viewing and online audiences as fans from around the world traveled to Singapore and tuned in to the exciting 10-day sport entertainment extravaganza showcasing the world’s best female athletes. The event attracted 129,000 spectators and 93,000 fans attended to the Singapore Sports Hub to enjoy 10 days of on- and off-court sport and entertainment in the stadium, as well as in the fan festival which offered free access to the public.
In 2015, fans and spectators of the WTA Finals can expect the WTA to amplify engagement efforts by building a deeper connection with the fan base, delivering richer, more compelling digital content and creating money can’t buy experiences all in an effort to further its vision to become the most fan-friendly sport entertainment experience on earth.
Tickets for the general public start at S$16.90 and can be purchased through Sports Hub Tix www.sportshub.com.sg/WTAFinals, the official ticketing partner of the 2015 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. Log on to the WTA Finals website www.WTAFinals.com for more information and follow on Twitter (@WTAFinalsSG) and Facebook (facebook.com/WTAFinalsSG).
By: Editor
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