 
Venus Williams |
stars to compete in Pilot Pen
Seven of the world's top 10 women tennis players -- including No. 2-ranked Venus Williams, two-time returning champion -- will be swinging their rackets on Yale courts as they compete in this year's Pilot Pen Tennis tournament, which takes place Friday-Saturday, Aug. 17-25.
Among the contenders in the Pilot Pen competition, a United States Tennis Association (USTA) event presented by Michelob Light, are Australian Open and French Open champion Jennifer Capriati, ranked fourth in the world; Monica Seles, formerly the world's number-one player, who is now ranked eighth; Amelie Mauresmo (No. 6); and teen stars Kim Clijsters (No. 7) and Justine Henin (No. 9) of Belgium.
The Pilot Pen takes place at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale, 45 Yale Ave. The event features a main draw of 28 singles players and 16 doubles teams. Qualifying rounds are Aug. 17-18; main draw contests are Aug. 19-25.
"The unprecedented depth of the Pilot Pen Tennis field ensures world-class matches from qualifying all the way through the finals," says Anne Worcester, tournament director, noting that both the 2001 Wimbledon winner (Venus Williams) and finalist (Justine Henin) will participate in this year's contest.
Last year, 21-year-old Williams earned her second consecutive Pilot Pen crown by beating Seles in the final round. She has earned 17 singles championships and eight doubles crowns in her career. In 2000, she also won the Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and capped the year by winning two gold medals at the Olympics in Sydney, Australia. This year, she has also won the Ericsson Open and the Betty Barclay Cup in Hamburg, Germany.
ESPN2 will broadcast about six hours of the tournament live, and will also provide prerecorded coverage of some of the matches. The finals will be broadcast on CBS Sports on Aug. 25, 1-3 p.m.
Formerly known as the U.S. Women's Hardcourt Championships in Atlanta, Pilot Pen Tennis held its inaugural women's event at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale in 1998. The event is one of the stops on the worldwide WTA Tour.
A new offering at the event this year will be the Yale Tercentennial New Haven Jazz Festival at the Pilot Pen: a series of live concerts, held between tennis sessions, that will feature some of New Haven's best-known jazz musicians. The concerts, unless indicated otherwise, take place 5:30-7 p.m. and will feature the Joe McWilliams Trio on Monday, Aug. 20; the Chris Morrison Quartet on Tuesday, Aug. 21; the Tony Lombardozzi Quartet on Wednesday, Aug. 22; the Lou West Quartet on Thursday, Aug. 23; and the Ron Braggs Quartet on Saturday, Aug. 25 (11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.).
These concerts are in addition to the three-part Yale Tercentennial Jazz Festival taking place at the New Haven Green. (See related story.) Two of the Saturday evening concerts in this series coincide with the Pilot Pen tournament: Pancho Sanchez on Aug. 18 and Dianne Reeves on Aug. 25.
On Wednesday, Aug. 22, which has been designated "College Night," employees and students from Yale and other area colleges and universities can receive a special 33% savings on up to four middle-tier tickets by showing a valid I.D. at the gate. Throughout the tournament, a "Bulldog Club" tent will be open to Yale alumni and staff members who have purchased box seats. Alumni and staff can purchase these tickets by calling (203) 776-7331 (ask for Rachel and mention your Yale affiliation). Visitors can bring in food from the food court and purchase beer and wine in the air-conditioned tent, which will be open Aug. 19-25. Hours are noon-9 p.m. except on Aug. 25, when the tent will be open from noon until match play ends.
Several other special events will take place during the tournament. On "Kids Day," Sunday, Aug. 19, children will be treated to music, court games and giveaways, and meet with some of the players during special clinics and autograph sessions. Tickets start at $5 and include admission to the day's matches. The first 1,000 children will receive a special goody bag.
This will be followed on Monday, Aug. 20, by "Back to School Day," when the first 1,000 children at the entrance gates will receive neon pen packs. Tuesday, Aug. 21, is "USTA Member Appreciation Day/Night," when USTA members will receive special savings on tickets and are invited to stop by the USTA hospitality tent. That same date is also designated "Girl Scout Night," which will allow area Girl Scouts the chance to have a private tennis lesson with one of the players.
Other special events are "WTNH News Channel 8 Day" on Wednesday, Aug. 22, featuring special tennis ball lanyards for the first 1,000 spectators; "Sports Illustrated for Women Day" on Thursday, Aug. 23, when the first 1,000 spectators will receive complimentary copies of Sports Illustrated for Women magazine; and "Michelob Light Night" on Friday, Aug. 24, which will feature a live concert by Darik and the Funbags prior to the evening's semifinal matches.
Week-long activities include SportZone, an interactive area with games and prizes for adults and children, including a bungee run, and "Moon Bounce"; player autograph sessions at the Pilot Pen Autograph Center; a food court and pub; and daily giveaways at a variety of display booths.
Tickets for the Pilot Pen tournament are on sale now. Individual box seats range from $50-$70. Middle-tier seats range from $10-$30 for adults and $5-$15 for children. Box seat and middle-tier packages, as well as group session tickets, are available. For tickets or more information, call 1-888-99-PILOT (1-888-997-4568) or (203) 776-7331.
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