Jelena Jankovic Enters Mercury Insurance Open Presented by Tri-City Medical Center at La Costa Resort and Spa

Former Number One Player is Highest Ranked Player to Enter Women's Tennis Event

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Jul 20, 2010, 09:15 ET

CARLSBAD, Calif., July 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Tournament officials announced that Jelena Jankovic, (YELL-e-nuh YAN-ko-vich) currently ranked number three on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, has officially entered the 2010 Mercury Insurance Open Presented by Tri-City Medical Center. The women's professional tennis event is scheduled for July 31-Aug. 8 at the La Costa Resort and Spa.

A semifinalist at the 2010 French Open, Jankovic captured the number one singles ranking in the world in Aug. 2008, becoming the 18th player in tour history to hold the top spot. Later that year, the native of Belgrade, Serbia, reached the US Open singles final and would finish the 2008 tour season ranked number one.

"With the addition of Jankovic to our strong field, the Mercury Insurance Open is going to be an incredible tournament. I know fans are going to be very excited to have the opportunity to watch Jelena play," said Raquel Giscafre, Mercury Insurance Open Tournament Director. "She's going to feel right at home since she has a residence in nearby Rancho Santa Fe."

Jankovic was named the 2008 Singles World Champion by the International Tennis Federation. She was also the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's Most Improved Player in 2007 for her performance in 2006. Jankovic, a member of the Serbian Fed Cup Team, has won 12 career tour singles titles.

With her entry into the 2010 Mercury Insurance Open, Jankovic will make her fifth career San Diego area tournament appearance. For additional information on Jankovic, go to www.jj-jelenajankovic.com.

Joining Jankovic at the Mercury Insurance Open will be fellow Serbian Ana Ivanovic and 2010 French Open finalist Samantha Stosur of Australia. Other players entered in the tournament include Russians Dinara Safina, Nadia Petrova, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova.

Former two-time tournament champion Lindsay Davenport has accepted a wild card into the Mercury Insurance Open doubles competition, where she will partner with fellow American Liezel Huber.

The Mercury Insurance Open Presented by Tri-City Medical Center, a Premier 700 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event offering $700,000 in prize money, marks the return of women's professional tennis to Carlsbad after a two-year hiatus. The event will be televised on Tennis Channel and ESPN 2, and will comprise one of the 10 events of the Olympus US Open Series. For additional information about the Mercury Insurance Open, log onto http://www.mercuryinsuranceopen.com/; join us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/SDTennis); or follow frequent updates on Twitter (http://twitter.com/MercuryInsOpen).

Mercury Insurance Group, title sponsor of the Mercury Insurance Open Presented by Tri-City Medical Center, is offering tennis fans the once-in-a-lifetime chance to win a trip to the 2010 US Open. Contestants can register to win a package that includes airfare, hotel and VIP tickets to the Open by visiting www.mercuryinsurance.com/tennis. No purchase is necessary to enter or win. You must be a legal California resident 18 years of age or older with a valid driver's license to participate in the sweepstakes.

About Mercury Insurance: Founded in 1962, Mercury Insurance (MCY) is a multiple-line insurance organization offering predominantly personal automobile and homeowners insurance through a network of independent agents and brokers in California, Florida, New Jersey, Texas, Arizona, New York, Georgia, Oklahoma, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, Virginia and Pennsylvania. For more information about Mercury Insurance, visit www.mercuryinsurance.com.

About Tri-City Medical Center: Founded in 1957 to serve the healthcare needs of coastal North San Diego County, Tri-City Medical Center is a full-service, acute care hospital with (500) physicians practicing in 60 specialties. The Medical Center is administered by the Tri-City Healthcare District, which includes most of Carlsbad, Oceanside and Vista. For more information about Tri-City Medical Center, please visit www.tricitymed.org.

About the USTA: Now in its seventh season, the Olympus U.S. Open Series has established itself as a true regular season of hard court tennis, linking 10 summer tournaments to the U.S. Open. Fans can follow the action with nearly 200 hours of live television coverage, culminating each week with back-to-back men's and women's finals every Sunday afternoon. Players battle for more than $37 million and a chance for bonus prize money at the U.S. Open. In 2008, Olympus became the first title sponsor of the Series. The Olympus U.S. Open Series is also supported by sponsors American Express, Evian and Grand Marnier.

Sam Querrey won the 2009 Olympus U.S. Open Series men's title and Elena Dementieva won the women's title. In 2007, Roger Federer collected the biggest paycheck in tennis history—$2.4 million—for winning the U.S. Open and the Olympus US Open Series. In 2005, Kim Clijsters captured both the U.S. Open and the Olympus U.S. Open Series, winning $2.2 million—the largest purse in women's sports history.

About Octagon Tennis: Octagon has a rich and proud history in the sport of tennis, having managed the careers of 63 Grand Slam Champions and 11 Olympic gold medalists over three decades. In addition, Octagon owns or manages more professional tennis events than any other agency with WTA and ATP events including the Kremlin Cup, Brasil Open, the Movistar Open and the Western & Southern Financial Group Championships, which is also part of the Olympus US Open Series, among others. For more information, please visit www.octagontennis.com.

SOURCE Mercury Insurance