NEWS. A Wild Two-Week Ride! 2007: Mark Your Calendar. Men s: Back to 56 Draw. Tournaments At-a-Glance AN ATP MASTERS SERIES EVENT

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NEWS WINTER EDITION WWW.CINCYTENNIS.COM VOLUME 21, NUMBER 4 Tournaments At-a-Glance 2007 Dates Women s...jul. 14-22 Seniors... Aug. 10-11 Men s... Aug. 11-19 A Wild Two-Week Ride!

Men s Event: As an ATP Masters Series event, players are automatically entered, so the field should include players such as Andy Roddick, Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal.

Vera Zvonareva and Andy Roddick took home the Waterford Crystal at the 2006 W&SFG Masters & Women s Open.

1 NEWS WINTER EDITION VOLUME 21, NUMBER 4 Tournaments At-a-Glance 2007 Dates Women s...jul Seniors... Aug Men s... Aug A Wild Two-Week Ride! Tickets Series tickets are on sale by calling , or by visiting Tickets for individual sessions will be on sale beginning February 1, Who s Playing? Men s Event: As an ATP Masters Series event, players are automatically entered, so the field should include players such as Andy Roddick, Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal. Women s Event: The field will be announced in the spring of Players who played in 2006 included Serena Williams, Ana Myskina, Patty Schnyder, & Vera Zvonareva. Vera Zvonareva and Andy Roddick took home the Waterford Crystal at the 2006 W&SFG Masters & Women s Open. Two players who ve both finished second in Cincinnati in recent years went one step better in Vera Zvonareva, finalist in 2004, won the women s title while Andy Roddick, champion in 2003 and finalist in 2005, took home his fourth ATP Masters Series shield of his career. At the gate and around the world on TV, the tournaments were very successful. For a visual recap, see pages : Mark Your Calendar It s ladies first once again in The W&SFG Women s Open will be held July 14-22, while the men s W&SFG Masters event will be August 10-19, and will include the popular W&SFG Seniors Championship (August ). See series ticket details inside. Men s: Back to 56 Draw Just as it was in the 1990s, the 2007 edition of the W&SFG Masters will feature a 56-man singles draw. The move, recently made by the board of the ATP, will provide a first-round bye to the top eight seeded players. See page 5. AN ATP MASTERS SERIES EVENT INDIAN WELLS MIAMI MONTE-CARLO ROMA HAMBURG TORONTO CINCINNATI MADRID PARIS SHANGHAI 2006

A Look Back at 2006 At the W&SFG Masters, paid attendance was up 4% over 2005.

The Rafael Nadal / Roger Federer rivalry was rekindled.

Blake fell in the second round while Ginepri, a semifinalist last year, reached the round of 16.

2 A Look Back at 2006 At the W&SFG Masters, paid attendance was up 4% over Great crowds packed the seats on Center Court (left), Grandstand Court, Court 3 and all other areas of the Lindner Family Tennis Center. The Rafael Nadal / Roger Federer rivalry was rekindled. Nadal (at left in blue) fell to eventual finalist Juan Carlos Fererro in the quarterfinals, while Federer (at left in white) lost in the second round to Andy Murray. Americans James Blake (at right in white) and Robbie Ginepri (at right in blue) returned to a place where they ve both had considerable success. Blake fell in the second round while Ginepri, a semifinalist last year, reached the round of 16. Marcos Baghdatis (above left) made his first appearance in Mason, and Andy Murray (above right) secured the biggest win of his young career by beating Federer in the second round. Doubles champions (clockwise: Gisela Dulko, Maria Elena Camerin, Max Mirnyi & Jonas Bjorkman) took home Waterford Crystal as well. Paid attendance for the women s event was up 13% over 2005, thanks in large part to an outstanding field that featured Serena Williams. Williams first match on Tuesday evening drew 5,724 fans, the largest crowd ever to see a women s match in Cincinnati. 2

After winning his fourth Masters Series title and his second title in Cincinnati,

Patty Schnyder (at left in white) fell just short of her bid to successfully defend

the first time since January to the delight of her fans.

doubles, and exciting youngster Tatiana Golovin (above right) made her debut in

The new doubles rules on the men s tour were well-received by fans, as evidenced by

3 After winning his fourth Masters Series title and his second title in Cincinnati, Andy Roddick kissed the ground and then personally thanked the fans. Patty Schnyder (at left in white) fell just short of her bid to successfully defend her singles title, while Serena Williams (at left in green) returned to tennis for the first time since January to the delight of her fans. Jelena Jankovic (at left in red) made her second consecutive appearance in the quarterfinals while No. 2 seed Ana Myskina (at right in white) had the bad luck of drawing a determined Serena Williams in the first round. Sania Mirza (above left) reached the quarterfinals in singles and the finals in doubles, and exciting youngster Tatiana Golovin (above right) made her debut in Mason. The new doubles rules on the men s tour were well-received by fans, as evidenced by this great crowd on Court 3, one of many during the week. Here, Marat Safin and countryman Mikhail Youzhny take on Frantisek Cermak and Julian Knowle in front of a packed house. Spot Shot introduced instant replay to tennis. Andy Roddick stopped by the ESPN GameDay Desk to chat with Chris Fowler after winning the title.

4 Local CBS affiliate (WKRC- TV) sports reporter Tara Pachmayer (below left) played emcee as Marcos Baghdatis (below right) enjoyed himself at a packed Ladies Day. Fans (below) helped fill out the draw by pulling player names from the 1947 tournament trophy. Afterward, Tom Gullikson (left), Owen Davidson and Luke Jensen discussed the draw. A great time was had by the future champions in attendance at Kids Day (above and below). 4 High school players and teammates took to Court 3 (above) for their own clinics during High School Day.

5 W&SFG Masters Returns to 56-Draw It ll be a return to the 1990s in 2007 as the W&SFG Masters will feature a 56-man singles draw, giving the top eight players a first-round bye. The move, recently made by the ATP Board, will help safeguard the health of the top eight players who, because of their success, play many more matches than lower-ranked players. The top eight seeds will be fresher as they will play their first match on Tuesday or Wednesday rather than Monday or Tuesday. The last year the tournament had a 56-draw was 1999, when the eight quarterfinalists included seven of the top eight seeds, and all four top seeds reached the semis. Increased competition and the lack of first-round byes have caused a decline in the number of top players reaching the quarterfinals in Cincinnati. During the 1990s, an average of five topeight players reached the quarters, while since the return to a 64-draw in 2000 an average of only three top-eight seeds have reached the quarters. Also, since 2000 the singles winner has had an average seed of No. 7. In the 1990s the average was No. 3. The No. 1 seed has not reached the quarters only ten times in the 38 years of the Open Era, but forty percent of those times have come in the past six years. Reap Advantages of Series Seats Series seats are on sale now for both the men s and women s tournaments in Why buy series seats? Here are a number of reasons: > You won t miss a sold-out session. > You ll save money versus buying single-session tickets. > Men s series tickets get you into the highly popular Draw Ceremony. > You ll have the same seat for each session. > You ll never worry about missing your favorite player. > The parking pass alone makes series seats a great deal. See the attached order form for pricing and to order your seats today! 2006 Major Men s Tournaments Australian Open (Jan.) S: R. Federer (his 7 th GS) D: Bryan/Bryan (their 4 th GS) Indian Wells (Mar.) S: R. Federer (9 th MS) D: Knowles/Nestor (15 th MS) Hamburg (May) S: T. Robredo (1 st MS) D: Hanley/Ullyett (1 st MS) Roland Garros (May-Jun.) S: R. Nadal (his 2 nd GS) D: Bjorkman/Mirnyi (2 nd GS) U.S. Open (Aug.-Sep.) S: R. Federer (his 9 th GS) D: Damm/Paes (1 st GS) Madrid (Oct.) S: R. Federer (his 12 th MS) D: Bryan/Bryan (6 th MS) Miami (Mar.) S: R. Federer (10 th MS) D: Bjorkman/Mirnyi (4 th MS) Monte Carlo (Apr.) S: R. Nadal (5 th MS) D: Bjorkman/Mirnyi (5 th MS) Rome (May) S: R. Nadal (6 th MS) D: Knowles/Nestor (16 th MS) Wimbledon (Jun.-Jul.) S: R. Federer (his 8 th GS) D: Bryan/Bryan (5 th GS) Toronto (Aug.) S: R. Federer (his 11 th MS) D: Bryan/Bryan (5 th MS) Cincinnati (Aug.) S: A. Roddick (his 4 th MS) D: Bjorkman/Mirnyi (6 th MS) Paris (Oct.-Nov.) S: N. Davydenko (his 1 st MS) D: Clement/Llodra (1 st MS) Tennis Masters Cup / Shanghai (Nov.) S: R. Federer D: Bjorkman/Mirnyi A player s singles ranking is based on points received from all four Grand Slams (GS), all nine ATP Masters Series (MS) events and his best five results from Int l Series events. 5

What the Players Said I keep forgetting it s a Tier III. It feels like a bigger tournament. I definitely believe this is a good venue. It s not a Tier III venue at all.

Those places are fun and everything, but, selfishly, I get energized to play here. This is a special place for me.

! A smiling Katarina Srebotnik to Vera Zvonareva immediately after hearing Berti Helmick sing both the Slovenian and Russian national anthems before the start of the women s singles final.

Srebotnik It is always great to try to play your best tennis against a top player. That s what I am going to try to do today. Vera Zvonareva before playing Serena Williams in the semifinals.

6 What the Players Said I keep forgetting it s a Tier III. It feels like a bigger tournament. I definitely believe this is a good venue. It s not a Tier III venue at all. It should at least be a Tier II. Serena Williams on playing in Mason at the Lindner Family Tennis Center You can take those places. If you ask me where I d want to play, I d choose Cincy to be honest. Those places are fun and everything, but, selfishly, I get energized to play here. This is a special place for me. Andy Roddick when asked if he d rather play in Rome, Paris, London, Monte Carlo or Cincinnati. Roddick Not bad, eh?! A smiling Katarina Srebotnik to Vera Zvonareva immediately after hearing Berti Helmick sing both the Slovenian and Russian national anthems before the start of the women s singles final. I don t think I ever have. Andy Roddick, who laid down on Center Court and kissed the surface immediately after winning the title, when asked when the last time he d kissed a court. Srebotnik It is always great to try to play your best tennis against a top player. That s what I am going to try to do today. Vera Zvonareva before playing Serena Williams in the semifinals. Zvonareva did play some of her best tennis: she didn t have a single unforced error in the first set and finished with only six unforced errors. She won 6-2, 6-3 in 66 minutes. I expected to be here on Sunday. I m sorry it s over, but I had a nice experience. I look forward to coming back again and having another solid experience... a different experience next time. Serena Williams on losing in the semifinals and her experience in Cincinnati Murray Obviously I wasn t expecting to win. So when it did happen, I was in a little bit of shock. Andy Murray after beating Roger Federer in the second round. It was the biggest victory of his young career. No. I hear that every day and I read about it every day, but I don t even really think about it. I just go out and play and have fun and the winning comes with that. 18-year-old Sam Querrey when asked what he thinks of being called the next great American player. 6 Querrey

What You Said We think you have the best-kept secret in tennis. But everyone is finding out what a great tournament you host!

The talent you bring to Mason annually is just awesome, the food is great and the tennis center is so clean and inviting. We will not hesitate to return to the best tournament in the U.S.

I sat in a few different seats and I don t think there s a bad seat in the stands. It has to be the best place for watching tennis.

From parking, to bag checks, to ticket-taking, to those manning the program booth all were very polite and friendly.

7 What You Said We think you have the best-kept secret in tennis. But everyone is finding out what a great tournament you host! Being able to get up so close to the players on the practice courts is a special treat photos and autographs are so easy to get! The talent you bring to Mason annually is just awesome, the food is great and the tennis center is so clean and inviting. We will not hesitate to return to the best tournament in the U.S.! Russ & Mary Ann Bowles, St. Louis, Missouri From start to finish, from the volunteers to the players themselves, it was first-class event. Everyone was so friendly (and) the grounds were perfect. I sat in a few different seats and I don t think there s a bad seat in the stands. It has to be the best place for watching tennis. Janet Alley, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin It was the first time we have attended a pro tennis event. We were so impressed by the amazing volunteers. From parking, to bag checks, to ticket-taking, to those manning the program booth all were very polite and friendly. Many took the time to tell us to have a great day or evening, and thanked us for coming. Congratulations to all who had a part in this event. Everything exceeded our expectations. Suzette & Alan Blakestad, Avoca, Iowa It was our first time there and it was simply marvelous. The entire staff on the grounds was friendly, very courteous and most helpful to any questions. The tournament itself is beautifully run. Don Sielaff, Louisville, Kentucky We were at the tournament from Austin, Texas, and Macon, Georgia, on Monday and Tuesday and enjoyed it very much except for the one downpour! Marti Worth, Austin, Texas It was a great way to get up close to all of my favorite players. This year was my first time but it is sure to become an annual event for me! Judy Conway, Chicago, Illinois The players love it. The fans turn out in droves. Sponsors get their money s worth. You can t help leave Cincinnati feeling better about the state of the professional game. They play the U.S. Open in New York, of course. But Cincinnati is the true U.S. Open. That it s in Southwest Ohio not in the Big Apple helps the international cast of the game get a real window into America. L. Jon Wertheim, in an article in the August, 2006, Tennis Magazine entitled The American Open (All photos on this page are photo illustrations, and are not necessarily photos of the authors of the quotes.) 7

8 Tennis For Charity, Inc. 250 East Fifth Street Suite 1310 Cincinnati, Ohio We d love to hear from you. your comments, questions or suggestions to info@cincytennis.com or call Tournaments operated by Tennis for Charity, Inc., and played for the benefit of Cincinnati Children s Hospital Medical Center, Tennis for City Youth and the Barrett Cancer Center. Tournaments played at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, Mason, Ohio. Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Cincinnati, Ohio Permit No. 7188

The Western & Southern Financial Group Women s Open is a Premier. The Western & Southern Financial Group Masters is one of the largest,

The Western & Southern Financial Group Women s Open is a Premier. The Western & Southern Financial Group Masters is one of the largest, TAKING IT TO A HIGHER LEVEL AUG UST 8-23, 2009 With more action, excitement and headline-grabbing players 2009 will be a watershed year for tennis in the Midwest. Cincinnati now has two weeks of top-level