Advanta WTT Smash Hits coming to Philadelphia with top stars
June 25, 2007 - World TeamTennis (WTT) News Release
New York, N.Y. (June 25, 2007) --- The Rocket Man is coming to Philadelphia and this time he is bringing his racquets and some of the world's top tennis players to raise money for the fight against HIV and AIDS. Music superstar Elton John and long-time friend Billie Jean King will host the 15th annual Advanta World TeamTennis Smash Hits, a special night of tennis featuring Andy Roddick, Lindsay Davenport and Anna Kournikova.
The event, which benefits the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the local charity ActionAIDS, returns to the Philadelphia area for one night only at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, October 10 at the Pavilion at Villanova University in Villanova, Pa. Tickets for Advanta WTT Smash Hits will go on sale this Tuesday, June 26 at 10 a.m. (Eastern) at all Ticketmaster ticket centers.
This is only the second time the event has been held in the Philadelphia area, the last time was in 2002 in front of a standing room only crowd at Villanova. Smash Hits has raised more than $8 million since 1993.
"Coming back to Philadelphia is always like coming home for Elton and me," said event co-host Billie Jean King. "The community there not only supports tennis but they've always been strong advocates in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Philadelphia is also the home of our event sponsor Advanta and our WTT team, the Philadelphia Freedoms, which inspired Elton to write the song Philadelphia Freedom. It's the perfect place to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Smash Hits."
The players will form two teams, with one team captained by John and the other by King. Five sets of tennis, using the World TeamTennis (WTT) format, will be played. John also plans to participate in a celebrity doubles event to open the evening. Additional participants will be announced in the upcoming weeks.
Roddick, who won his first round match against Justin Gimelstob at Wimbledon on Monday, has consistently been ranked among the top 10 players in the world since turning pro in 2000. Roddick won his 22nd ATP singles title last week at the Queen's Club event in London. The former world No. 1 won the 2003 US Open and has reached the finals of Wimbledon twice (2004 and 2005). Roddick won the ATP Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award in 2004 and founded the Andy Roddick Foundation, which has raised over $2.2 million for several charities since 2001.
Davenport is a favorite among fans in Philadelphia. The three-time Grand Slam singles champion last played at Villanova in the 2000 Advanta Championships when she won her second consecutive Advanta title. Davenport won 51 career singles titles and 36 doubles titles. The former world No. 1 also won the 2000 Australian Open, 1999 Wimbledon and the 1998 U.S. Open singles championships, along with the gold medal in singles at the 1996 Olympic Games. Davenport has been off the WTA Tour since the end of 2006. Earlier this month, Davenport and her husband Jon Leach became parents when their son Jagger was born.
Kournikova is a two-time Australian Open doubles champion and a former No. 1 in doubles and No. 8 in singles in the world rankings. She became the second woman in the Open era to reach the semifinals of Wimbledon in her debut. This native Russian, who won 16 career WTA Tour doubles titles, is one of the world's most popular female athletes. Kournikova also plays for the Sacramento Capitals of the WTT Pro League.
Reserved seat tickets for the 15th annual Advanta WTT Smash Hits range from $40 to $110 and are available at all Ticketmaster locations. For more information, please call Ticketmaster at (215) 336-2000.
Special VIP ticket packages, which also include VIP courtside seating and admission to the Smash Hits VIP Reception and Auction, are available through ActionAIDS for $300. The VIP Reception, which begins at 5:30 p.m., includes a silent and live auction and will be attended by John, King and all players. VIP packages are available by calling ActionAIDS at (215) 981-3346. For additional information, please visit World TeamTennis at www.wtt.com.
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