Tournament brings top-tier tennis players to Carlsbad
By Jos? A. L?pez
Director of Communications
For nine days, the La Costa Resort and Spa will welcome some of the world's top female tennis players, as it hosts the Mercury Insurance Open presented by Tri-City Medical Center.
The Women's Tennis Association event, one of 10 tournaments that lead up to the U.S. Open, is the top tennis event in San Diego County. It features a 56-players draw for the singles competition (16 for doubles) and will award $721,00 in prize money.
It is a tournament steeped in history, one that gives tennis fans a unique opportunity to see some of the biggest names of the sport in person in San Diego County.
Past winners of the tournament, which started in 1984 and is celebrating its 26th edition this year , include Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis (who is scheduled to play in a related pro-am event), Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport and Maria Sharapova.
Though injuries forced some players who were initially slated to appear out of the tournament before it began, there are enough high-caliber players to ensure a memorable edition.
The top five seeds are Vera Zvonareva of Russia, currently third in the WTA Singles Rankings; 11th ranked Andrea Petkovic; 14th ranked Agnieszka Radwanska; 16th ranked Peng Shuai; and 17th ranked Ana Ivanovic, a former world number one.
Tournament Director Raquel Giscafre said La Costa Resort and Spa is a big draw for the athletes, who take up residence at the resort during the tournament.
"The La Costa Resort and Spa provides a perfect, intimate atmosphere for the players," she said. "They love the fact that they can roll out of bed and onto the courts. They don't have to get in a car and drive for an hour to get to the site, like they do for the U.S. Open."
The players, like many tourists that come to Carlsbad, take the opportunity to enjoy the area.
Their activities include going to the beach; shopping at The Forum Carlsbad and the Carlsbad Premium Outlets; and visiting the restaurants and spa located on the resort.
According to Giscafre, before it left the area for a two-year hiatus in 2007, the tournament went from being the smallest to the largest professional summer competition held between Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in the United States.
"Now this tournament is large," Giscafre said, "but we want it to be the largest in the country in the next five years."
Mike Shaff, resort manager at La Costa, said the resort, which has hosted the tournament since 1991, including when it was the Acura Classic from 2000 to 2007, was a natural fit for the return of the tournament.
Shaff added that the tournament was sorely missed during its absence.
"There was definitely a void that was felt by the community," he said. "This is the only big tennis tour in San Diego."
Spectators also make a big impact in the community. Between 65,000 to 70,000 tennis enthusiasts are expected to attend, many coming from out of town, said Giscafre, adding that these out-of-town visitors bring a lot of business to the community.
Giscafre said an economic impact study will be conducted during the tournament, which will detail just how much of an impact the tournament has on the local economy. That study should be available in mid-September.
Anecdotally, Giscafre added, there's evidence that the impact is significant. Additionally, a similar tour held in a city back east has been shown to contribute $29 million. There's also the extra publicity that comes with the televised broadcasts of the games, which will be carried live on ESPN 2 and on the Tennis Channel.
Larry Anderson, chief executive officer at Tri-City Medical Center, said his organization jumped at the opportunity to be the presenting sponsor of the tournament.
"Sporting events really underscore the benefit of health and wellness, which is what we provide," Anderson said. "Ultimately, everything we do is designed to promote health and wellness in the community … we thought that this was a great way to expose the hospital to the community to support the community and demonstrate our mission."
This year, Anderson said, the hospital will promote its new robotic surgery program, especially the hospital's recent acquisition of the da Vinci Si HD Robotic Surgical System, a robotic tool that allows surgeons to make smaller incisions for faster recovery times. A demonstration of the futuristic-looking device will be available at the tournament for spectators to learn more about it.
"This is a state-of-the-art robotic surgery device that allows surgeons to do minimally invasive procedures that would otherwise be invasive," he said. "It gives surgeons the opportunity to visualize the body in ways they never could before."
In addition to the sports, visitors to the event will have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of activities from the event sponsors.
Scheduled events include autograph sessions with players; a fashion show featuring the tournament's players; and a Latin night that includes a celebration ceremony for Angel Lopez, a top tour coach who will be recognized for his contributions to the San Diego County tennis community.
"It's just going to be a great celebration of tennis," Giscafre said.
For more information about the tournament, go to www.mercuryinsuranceopen.com.
By Jos? A. L?pez
Director of Communications
For nine days, the La Costa Resort and Spa will welcome some of the world's top female tennis players, as it hosts the Mercury Insurance Open presented by Tri-City Medical Center.
The Women's Tennis Association event, one of 10 tournaments that lead up to the U.S. Open, is the top tennis event in San Diego County. It features a 56-players draw for the singles competition (16 for doubles) and will award $721,00 in prize money.
It is a tournament steeped in history, one that gives tennis fans a unique opportunity to see some of the biggest names of the sport in person in San Diego County.
Past winners of the tournament, which started in 1984 and is celebrating its 26th edition this year , include Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis (who is scheduled to play in a related pro-am event), Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport and Maria Sharapova.
Though injuries forced some players who were initially slated to appear out of the tournament before it began, there are enough high-caliber players to ensure a memorable edition.
The top five seeds are Vera Zvonareva of Russia, currently third in the WTA Singles Rankings; 11th ranked Andrea Petkovic; 14th ranked Agnieszka Radwanska; 16th ranked Peng Shuai; and 17th ranked Ana Ivanovic, a former world number one.
Tournament Director Raquel Giscafre said La Costa Resort and Spa is a big draw for the athletes, who take up residence at the resort during the tournament.
"The La Costa Resort and Spa provides a perfect, intimate atmosphere for the players," she said. "They love the fact that they can roll out of bed and onto the courts. They don't have to get in a car and drive for an hour to get to the site, like they do for the U.S. Open."
The players, like many tourists that come to Carlsbad, take the opportunity to enjoy the area.
Their activities include going to the beach; shopping at The Forum Carlsbad and the Carlsbad Premium Outlets; and visiting the restaurants and spa located on the resort.
According to Giscafre, before it left the area for a two-year hiatus in 2007, the tournament went from being the smallest to the largest professional summer competition held between Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in the United States.
"Now this tournament is large," Giscafre said, "but we want it to be the largest in the country in the next five years."
Mike Shaff, resort manager at La Costa, said the resort, which has hosted the tournament since 1991, including when it was the Acura Classic from 2000 to 2007, was a natural fit for the return of the tournament.
Shaff added that the tournament was sorely missed during its absence.
"There was definitely a void that was felt by the community," he said. "This is the only big tennis tour in San Diego."
Spectators also make a big impact in the community. Between 65,000 to 70,000 tennis enthusiasts are expected to attend, many coming from out of town, said Giscafre, adding that these out-of-town visitors bring a lot of business to the community.
Giscafre said an economic impact study will be conducted during the tournament, which will detail just how much of an impact the tournament has on the local economy. That study should be available in mid-September.
Anecdotally, Giscafre added, there's evidence that the impact is significant. Additionally, a similar tour held in a city back east has been shown to contribute $29 million. There's also the extra publicity that comes with the televised broadcasts of the games, which will be carried live on ESPN 2 and on the Tennis Channel.
Larry Anderson, chief executive officer at Tri-City Medical Center, said his organization jumped at the opportunity to be the presenting sponsor of the tournament.
"Sporting events really underscore the benefit of health and wellness, which is what we provide," Anderson said. "Ultimately, everything we do is designed to promote health and wellness in the community … we thought that this was a great way to expose the hospital to the community to support the community and demonstrate our mission."
This year, Anderson said, the hospital will promote its new robotic surgery program, especially the hospital's recent acquisition of the da Vinci Si HD Robotic Surgical System, a robotic tool that allows surgeons to make smaller incisions for faster recovery times. A demonstration of the futuristic-looking device will be available at the tournament for spectators to learn more about it.
"This is a state-of-the-art robotic surgery device that allows surgeons to do minimally invasive procedures that would otherwise be invasive," he said. "It gives surgeons the opportunity to visualize the body in ways they never could before."
In addition to the sports, visitors to the event will have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of activities from the event sponsors.
Scheduled events include autograph sessions with players; a fashion show featuring the tournament's players; and a Latin night that includes a celebration ceremony for Angel Lopez, a top tour coach who will be recognized for his contributions to the San Diego County tennis community.
"It's just going to be a great celebration of tennis," Giscafre said.
For more information about the tournament, go to www.mercuryinsuranceopen.com.