On August 19, New York City Sports Commissioner Kenneth J. Podziba will welcome the 5th annual Forest Hills Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Classic Presented by Commerce Bank to the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, Queens. This five-day Women's Tennis Association (WTA) event will serve as a key warm-up tournament for the US Open and will feature several of the world's top female tennis players competing for $75,000 in prize money. The tournament will be free to the public through all rounds.

"The Olympics may be winding down, but tennis action is heating up at the historic West Side Tennis Club," said Commissioner Podziba. "This year's Forest Hills Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Classic Presented by Commerce Bank will feature several rising stars, including current Olympians Shuai Peng of China and Elena Vesnina of Russia. This tournament provides a great opportunity to see some of tennis' top women compete prior to the US Open."

France's Pauline Parmentier, who has won two WTA Tour titles and achieved a career-high ranking of #40 in July 2008, will headline the highly competitive field. Other stars include Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain who boasts six career ITF Circuit women's titles and recently reached the quarterfinals in her Grand Slam main draw debut at the 2008 French Open. The nineteen year-old also has the only single-handed backhand in the tournament. Jamea Jackson will be the lone American in the field. Jackson is coming off of a tough 2007 season where she struggled after recovering from hip surgery.

"Every year, the caliber of play keeps improving and the excitement about tennis at Forest Hills is growing," said tournament director Dina Ingersole. "There's a lot of buzz around the women's game these days and that carries over to this tournament."

The 16-woman draw begins at 10:00 am on Tuesday, August 19 and the finals will begin at 2:00 pm on Saturday, August 23. The third day of the tournament will feature budding tennis talent with the USPTA/PTR "Little Masters" Singles & Doubles Tournament as well as the Star Search Quick Start Tournament for ages 6-9.

For more information about this event, please visit www.sonyericssonwtatour.com or www.foresthillstennis.com.

The West Side Tennis Club hosted the US Open until 1977 and served as home to the U.S. Nationals and WCT Tournament of Champions through 1990. Professional tennis returned to the club in 2003. The private club is currently home to over 800 members and maintains 38 courts consisting of four different surfaces and a junior Olympic pool complex. The club also features ten indoor green clay courts that are open to the public from Oct. 1 through April 30. Anchored by its history, its famous stadium and Tudor clubhouse, The West Side Tennis Club features a majestic setting and remains a tranquil oasis for premier tennis in the heart of New York City. For more information, please visit www.foresthillstennis.com or call 718-268-2300.

The New York City Sports Commission is the mayoral agency charged with attracting, facilitating and promoting professional, amateur and scholastic sports events in New York City. In recent years, the Sports Commission has played a role in creating or developing many new sporting events, including the NFL Kickoff Live from Times Square, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series™ Champions Week, the BMC Software NYC Cycling Championship, the AVP Brooklyn Open, the NAUTICA NYC Triathlon, the NYC Half-Marathon, the Union Square Street Sessions presented by Jeep®, the Wild Onion Urban Adventure Race, and the Men's Health Urbanathlon.

Contacts:

Dina Ingersole (West Side Tennis Club) (718) 268-2300 x135
Jeff Mohl (Sports Commission) (212) 487-6627