2 more Family Circle Cup commits

WORLD No. 11 VICTORIA AZARENKA AND WORLD No. 13

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI ENTER FAMILY CIRCLE CUP

Two of the Fastest-Rising Young Stars on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour

Join World Class Player Field in Charleston

CHARLESTON, SC (February 24, 2009) – World No. 11 Victoria Azarenka, fresh off capturing the second Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title of her career in Memphis two days ago, and also marking the highest world ranking of her career this week, has officially entered the Family Circle Cup. World No. 13 Caroline Wozniacki, also coming off a strong result last week as the singles finalist in Memphis, will make her debut appearance in Charleston and join Azarenka in strengthening the world class player field set to compete in Charleston. These two young stars join World No. 1 Serena Williams, World No. 5 Vera Zvonareva, World No. 6 Venus Williams, and World No. 9 Nadia Petrova in headlining the Family Circle Cup, a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Premier Event, scheduled April 11-19, 2009 at the Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston, SC.

“Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki are two of the most exciting young stars on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour,” commented Eleanor Adams, Family Circle Cup Tournament Manager. “Azarenka’s strong play in last year’s tournament earned her a lot of fans who will be thrilled to see her return in April. Equally exciting to our patrons will be the debut of Caroline Wozniacki, a player who has climbed the rankings with three impressive tournament wins in 2008 and has already posted some great results this year.”

Victoria Azarenka has already notched an array of strong victories this year. Her success began with a title at Brisbane, the first tournament on the 2009 calendar, which marked the first singles championship of her career. She followed that success with a fourth round appearance at the Australian Open, equaling her best Grand Slam result. Continuing her success, she entered Memphis as the No. 2 seed where she won the second title of her career in a two-set upset victory over No. 1 seed Caroline Wozniacki. Also at Memphis, she partnered with Caroline Wozniacki to capture their first doubles title together. As the tournament’s No. 2 seed, Azarenka and Wozniacki did not lose a set throughout the tournament. These victories combined to push Azarenka’s career earnings over the $1.5 million mark. Azarenka is currently the third youngest Top 20 player at nineteen years, 7 months old. She was a member of the Belarusian Olympic Team in 2008. Azarenka is making her second appearance in Charleston where she reached the third round as the No. 13 seed last year and posted a 2-1 record on Daniel Island. Azarenka has her own web site at VikaAzarenkaTennis.com

“I had a lot of fun competing at the Family Circle Cup, and I loved the history and charm of Charleston. I really look forward to coming back again this year,” commented Victoria Azarenka.

Caroline Wozniacki also posted strong results this season with back-to-back quarterfinal finishes as the No. 2 seed at Auckland and as the No. 8 seed at Sydney, as well as reaching the third round at the Australian Open. She reached the quarterfinals at Pattaya City as the No. 2 seed, and was the runner up at Memphis where she partnered with Azarenka to win the second doubles title of her career. In only her third year on the WTA Tour, eighteen-year-old Wozniacki has earned nearly $1 million in career earnings, and is the youngest player in the Top 20 ranks. Wozniacki built the foundation of her World No. 13 ranking on three singles titles she captured at Stockholm, New Haven, and Tokyo (Japan Open) in 2008, her breakthrough year on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Wozniacki has her own web site at CarolineWozniacki.dk

“I’ve always heard great things about Charleston, and the player field looks really strong this year, so I’m very excited to enter the Family Circle Cup,” noted Caroline Wozniacki.

The Family Circle Cup is scheduled April 11-19, 2009 at the Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston, SC. The Family Circle Tennis Center is a public facility owned by the City of Charleston and operated by Meredith Corporation that also hosts a variety of additional events including concerts, festivals, tennis tournaments and other activities throughout the year. With over 21 million readers, Family Circle is one of the most widely read monthly magazines in America and is one of 14 leading subscription magazines owned by Meredith Corporation. The Tennis Center features a 10,200 seat stadium, Grand Lawn, 17 tennis courts lighted for night play, beach volleyball court, racquet club, and Pro Shop. For tickets or more info, call (843) 856-7900 or visit familycirclecup.com.