Trio Of Stars Strengthen Constantly Growing Player Field
NEW HAVEN, Conn., June 13, 2006 - Sony Ericsson WTA Tour stars Nathalie Dechy and Jelena Jankovic along with American Vince Spadea, have committed early to Pilot Pen Tennis presented by Michelob ULTRA, a US Open Series event set for August 18-26, 2006 at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale, it was announced today by Anne Worcester, tournament director.
Dechy and Jankovic, who are currently No. 21 and 30 in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour world rankings, and Spadea, a top-ranked American, join an already deep Pilot Pen Tennis player field that includes World No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo; defending champion Lindsay Davenport; top ranked players Elena Dementieva, Anastasia Myskina, Daniela Hantuchova, Elena Likhovtseva and Sania Mirza; as well as defending men's champion James Blake.
"We are delighted with the quantity and the quality of the player commitments received thus far," said Worcester. "By continuing to add strong players like Dechy, Jankovic and Spadea, fans are guaranteed fantastic tennis throughout the week on all the courts."
Dechy had her best year on tour in 2005 when she reached the semifinals at the Australian Open and at nine other events captured a quarterfinals berth while climbing to a ranking of No. 12 in the world. This year Dechy's best result is a quarterfinals appearance at Charleston, South Carolina. She has played at the Pilot Pen many times, with her best finishes coming in 2004 when she lost in the finals to Elena Bovina.
Jankovic, who also had a fantastic 2005, reached the finals at Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Birmingham, England and Seoul, South Korea while ascending to a career-high ranking of No. 17 in the world. This year she has reached the quarterfinals at Rome and semifinals at Strausbourg, France. She has played at the Pilot Pen the last two years, with her best finish coming in 2004 when she lost in the quarterfinals to Elena Dementieva.
Spadea, who finished in the Top 100 for the tenth time in his career in 2005 reaching the finals at Newport as well as the semifinals in Delray Beach, Florida. This year he again reached the semifinals at Delray Beach and in addition the semifinals at San Jose, California. Last year he reached the Round of 16 at the Pilot Pen.
For a more information about the tournament or daily tickets, which went on sale a week ago, please call the Pilot Pen Tennis Box Office, 888/99-PILOT, 203/776-7331, or log on to www.pilotpentennis.com.