Kournikova joins Kournikova joins (May 28, 2003)field for Bank of the West

by Rick Eymer

She's never won a singles title in her professional career, yet Anna Kournikova remains one of the most popular players in tennis.

Kournikova, who is not participating in the French Open, announced her intention to join four of the top seven players in the WTA rankings at the Bank of the West Classic, July 21-27, at Taube Family Tennis Stadium on the Stanford campus.

Kournikova, currently ranked 78th, signed on to play at the DFS Classic in England, a Wimbledon warm-up tournament which begins June 9. She has a 1-5 record this year while trying to heal from a left thigh injury. She hasn't played since a first-round loss in the Family Circle Cup on April 7.

Joining Kournikova among the list of early commitments are world No. 1 Serena Williams, who is making her debut at the Bank of the West Classic, 2001 champion and No. 2 ranked Kim Clijsters, 1998 and 1999 champion and No. 6 ranked Lindsay Davenport, and 2002 Australian Open champion and No. 7 ranked Jennifer Capriati.

The Bank of the West Classic is a WTA Tour Tier II event, featuring a 28-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw. Total prize money for the event is $635,000.

"We are delighted to have Anna returning for this year's tournament," said Tournament Director Peter Tatum. "Anna has enjoyed excellent results here. She always draws large crowds, which is very positive for the Bank of the West Classic, and tennis in the Bay Area. For that reason, we suggest fans get their tickets early. Tickets for sessions late in the week are already going fast. If they want to make sure to see Anna, they should buy tickets for her first-round singles match, either Monday or Tuesday."

Kournikova has reached the singles semifinals in her last two appearances (2000 and 2002) at Bank of the West, and she reached the doubles semifinals last year. In 1999, Kournikova made her Bay Area debut at the Bank of the West Classic, where she made it to the singles quarterfinals. In doubles that same year, she made it to the finals with partner Elena Likhovtseva. She missed the 2001 tournament due to injury.

During her strongest singles stretch on tour, Kournikova reached a career-high ranking of No. 8 six times from November 20, 2000-May 27, 2001. Her best Grand Slam singles results were the semifinals at Wimbledon in 1997 and the quarterfinals at the 2001 Australian Open. Kournikova's best singles finish last year was the finals at Shanghai.

Kournikova owns 16 career doubles titles, including the Australian Open in 1999 and 2002. with partner Martina Hingis. Between November 22, 1999 and January 30, 2000, Kournikova held the No. 1 world doubles ranking. A native of Moscow, Kournikova moved to the United States with her parents in 1992 to train at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida. She captured the public's attention in 1997 when, at age 16, she reached the semifinals at Wimbledon.

In 1998, she was named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People," then in 2000 she made it to Forbes magazine's "Power 100 in Fame and Fortune" list, and in 2002 FHM magazine named her the world's sexiest woman. She also appeared in Enrique Iglesias' music video for his hit song "Escape."

Individual tickets range in price from $15-$75 per session and are available through City Box Office at 415-392-4400, or through Tickets.com at 415-478-2277, 650-478-2277, 408-998-2277, or 510-762-2277. Box seat and weekend packages range from $155-$2,600, including individual session skyboxes available for $2,000 per session Monday through Thursday, and are available by calling 415-227-8099. Qualifying matches, held July 19-20, are free to the public. For more information about the Bank of the West Classic, please visit the tournament Web site at www.bankofthewestclassic.com.

Weekday sessions will begin Monday, July 21, through Wednesday, July 23 at 10 a.m. and Thursday, July 24, through Friday, July 25 at noon. All weeknight sessions begin at 7:30 p.m. Semifinal sessions on Saturday, July 26, start at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The final session on Sunday, July 27, begins at 1:30 p.m.