One of 10 Tier One tournaments on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour, the Rogers Cup presented by American Express tennis tournament offers US $1.325 million in prize money and attracts the stars of women’s tennis.
Since 1892, the best women’s tennis players in the world have showcased their skills on Canadian courts. Only Wimbledon and the US Open have longer histories than the major Canadian stop, which is acknowledged by the tennis community to be one of the best-run tournaments in the world.
Some of the world’s top tennis players are on the official entry list for the Roger’s Cup presented by American Express tournament, held Aug. 11-19, at the Rexall Centre at York University. Action begins on Saturday, Aug. 11 with qualifying rounds.
The top 10 players included in this year’s entry list are:
|
Player Name |
Nation |
Rank |
|
Justine Henin |
Belgium |
1 |
|
Maria Sharapova |
Russia |
2 |
|
Jelena Jankovic |
Serbia |
3 |
|
Amélie Mauresmo |
France |
4 |
|
Svetlana Kuznetsova |
Russia |
5 |
|
Ana Ivanovic |
Serbia |
6 |
|
Anna Chakvetadze |
Russia |
7 |
|
Nadia Petrova |
Russia |
8 |
|
Nicole Vaidisova |
Czech Republic |
9 |
|
Martina Hingis |
Switzerland |
10 |
Brief biographies of the top five entrants
Justine Henin (right) has won six Grand Slam singles titles, including four French Open singles titles (four of the last five and the last three, consecutively). She also has won a WTA Tour Championships singles title and the singles gold medal at the 2004 Summer Games. Some tennis experts cite her mental toughness and her one-handed backhand as reasons for her success.
Maria Sharapova (left) is a Russian professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. She is currently the second ranked player in the world. At the end of 2006, she was the world’s highest-paid female athlete. Sharapova has won two Grand Slam singles titles. She is the reigning US Open champion, having defeated Justine Henin in the final of the 2006 US Open.
Jelena Jankovic (right) entered the WTA top 15 in late 2006 when she reached the semi-finals of the US Open. At the beginning of 2007, she broke into the top 10 in the WTA rankings and entered the top three when she reached the semi-finals of the French Open. She won the Mixed Doubles title at Wimbledon 2007 with partner Jamie Murray.
Amélie Mauresmo (left) has won two Grand Slam singles titles. Mauresmo first attained the top ranking on Sept. 13, 2004, holding it for five weeks on that occasion. She is well known for her powerful one-handed backhand (a rarity in women’s tennis) and her strong net play.
Svetlana Kuznetsova (right) is a Russian professional tennis player. Kuznetsova won her only Grand Slam singles title at the 2004 US Open, where she defeated countrywoman Elena Dementieva in straight sets in an all-Russian final. Kuznetsova is a frequent doubles player and has been ranked as high as third in the world (June 2004).
Special discount available to the York University community
Members of the York community can enjoy a special discount for tickets to this year’s event. Faculty, staff, students and alumni are eligible for the following discounts which offer significant savings:
- 30 per cent off prime Lower Bowl Silver seats;
- 25 per cent off Lower Bowl Bronze seats;
- 20 per cent off Level 300 seats.
For pricing, visit: http://tor.tenniscanada.ca/groups/yfile/
Last summer the tournament sold out seven of 15 sessions, so reserve your tickets before it’s too late.
To order, call Tennis Canada Group Sales at 1-877-2-TENNIS, ext. 4306, or log on to www.rogerscup.com/groups and use access code: YFI0-5837827.
For more information, e-mail groups@tenniscanada.com.