World No. 11 Marion Bartoli, a finalist at Wimbledon last year, has become the third player to commit to the Pilot Pen.
Bartoli, who joins 2007 Pilot Pen finalists Agnes Szavay and Mardy Fish as players committed early to the event, began to leave her mark on the Tour in 2006 when she collected three titles at Auckland, Tokyo and Quebec City. She cemented her position as one of the game's elite players last year by defeating World No. 1 Justine Henin en route to the Wimbledon finals, reaching the finals of Prague and the semifinals of five other tournaments, and reaching a career-high ranking of No. 9 in the world.
World No. 11 Marion Bartoli Commits to Pilot Pen Tennis!
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Pilot Pen Tennis
Agnes Szavay is First Woman to Commit to 2008 Pilot Pen
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Pilot Pen Tennis
Szavay, ranked 13th in
the world, played nine matches in eight days last year and reached the
final before a back injury forced her to retire against second-ranked
Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Szavay is the first woman to commit to the 2008 Pilot Pen.
"She had an amazing run [last year]," tournament director Anne Worcester said. "The Pilot Pen takes great pride in the fact that [this] always seems to be a tournament where rising stars and up-and-comers seem to make their initial mark and grab the world's attention. There have been several rising stars that have had a breakthrough event here. We're delighted that the Pilot Pen was a bit of a breakthrough for Agnes."
After New Haven, Szavay reached the quarterfinals in the US Open, upsetting No. 7 Nadia Petrova. She later won in Beijing, upsetting No. 3 Jelena Jankovic in the final.
Szavay, 19, finished the year No. 20 in the world after ending 2006 at No. 189. She was named Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Newcomer of the Year last year and she points to New Haven as the tournament that propelled her.
"I think it was a great tournament," Szavay said. "It was a really good week in my life. ... I'm really happy I could win the whole week and I'm really sorry I couldn't finish the final."
This year, Szavay lost to sixth-ranked Anna Chakvetadze in the final in Paris and reached the quarterfinals in Amelia Island, Fla., last week.
Tickets are available by calling 888-997-4568 or 203-776-7331 or visiting
www.pilotpentennis.com.
Szavay is the first woman to commit to the 2008 Pilot Pen.
"She had an amazing run [last year]," tournament director Anne Worcester said. "The Pilot Pen takes great pride in the fact that [this] always seems to be a tournament where rising stars and up-and-comers seem to make their initial mark and grab the world's attention. There have been several rising stars that have had a breakthrough event here. We're delighted that the Pilot Pen was a bit of a breakthrough for Agnes."
After New Haven, Szavay reached the quarterfinals in the US Open, upsetting No. 7 Nadia Petrova. She later won in Beijing, upsetting No. 3 Jelena Jankovic in the final.
Szavay, 19, finished the year No. 20 in the world after ending 2006 at No. 189. She was named Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Newcomer of the Year last year and she points to New Haven as the tournament that propelled her.
"I think it was a great tournament," Szavay said. "It was a really good week in my life. ... I'm really happy I could win the whole week and I'm really sorry I couldn't finish the final."
This year, Szavay lost to sixth-ranked Anna Chakvetadze in the final in Paris and reached the quarterfinals in Amelia Island, Fla., last week.
Tickets are available by calling 888-997-4568 or 203-776-7331 or visiting
www.pilotpentennis.com.
American Star Mardy Fish Commits to Pilot Pen Tennis!
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Pilot Pen Tennis
Fish, currently ranked No. 42 in the world, recently had one of the biggest wins of his career when he upset World No. 1 Roger Federer at the Pacific Life Open Masters Series event in Indian Wells, California, en route to the finals where he fell in three sets to World No. 3 Novak Djokovic. It was the first time an American had defeated Federer in more than four years, and was the second time Fish had reached a Masters Series final (Cincinnati 2003). In addition, earlier this year he had two solid performances when he reached the quarterfinals of Delray Beach and San Jose.