Ivanovic Enters Southern California Open
March 4, 2010
Carlsbad, Calif. — Tournament officials announced today that Ana Ivanovic of Serbia has officially entered the 2010 Southern California Open.
Ivanovic burst upon the tennis scene after turning pro in 2003. Her year-end ranking zoomed from 705 to 97 in 2004. She would go on to earn the number one ranking in the world after winning the 2008 French Open at Roland Garros by defeating Russian Dinara Safina in the women’s singles final.
“I look forward to playing in the Southern California Open this summer at the La Costa Resort and Spa,” Ivanovic said. “It’s a world-class destination with a fantastic tennis venue.”
Ivanovic recently hired Heinz Gunthardt as her coach. Gunthardt is a former coach of Steffi Graf and helped Graf win 12 Grand Slam singles titles. For more information on Ivanovic, go to anaivanovic.com.
”We are very fortunate to have a player of Ana’s caliber entering the tournament,” said Southern California Open Tournament Director Raquel Giscafre. “She is very popular with fans everywhere she plays. Ana will certainly be one of the strong favorites at the tournament this summer.”
The Southern California Open, which is owned and managed by Octagon, marks the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s return to San Diego County after a two-year hiatus. The tournament, which will take place July 31-Aug. 8, 2010 at the La Costa Resort and Spa, will be one of ten tournaments (five WTA and five ATP) comprising the Olympus US Open Series.
Reserved and box seat ticket packages ranging from $70 to $1,200 are now on sale. Ticket information is available at southerncaliforniaopen.com or by calling 877-438-3137. Individual tickets for the Southern California Open will go on sale May 2010.
The Southern California Open is a Premier 700 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event. The tournament will offer $700,000 in prize money.
The addition of the Southern California Open bolsters Octagon’s leading global role in the ownership and management of WTA and ATP Tour events. Octagon owns and/or manages 15 WTA and ATP Tour events and has been widely credited for globalizing both tours. In the United States, Octagon’s ownership interests include The MPS Group Championships in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, and the Western & Southern Financial Group Championships, which is also part of the US Open Series, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Octagon has a rich and proud history in the sport of tennis, having managed the careers of 63 Grand Slam Champions and 11 Olympic gold medalists over three decades. For more info on Octagon’s tennis division, please visit octagontennis.com.
Octagon, named the “2008 Sports Agency of the Year” by the Sports Business Journal, is the world’s largest sports and entertainment representation and marketing agency with global expertise in consulting, athletes & personalities, event management, property representation, marketing solutions, licensing and merchandising and talent procurement. As part of The Interpublic Group (NYSE:IPG), one of the world’s leading organizations of advertising agencies and marketing services, Octagon employs more than 1,000 people in 60 offices around the world. For further information please visit: octagon.com