2007 ACURA CLASSIC ANNOUNCES SIX OF ITS EIGHT DESIGNATED SINGLES WILD CARDS

SAN DIEGO, CA, July 26, 2007 –– Promotion Sports, Inc. has announced six Wild Card entries into the 2007 Acura Classic, to be held July 28 - August 5 at the La Costa Resort & Spa, including three of its four Main Draw Wild Cards and three of its four Qualifying Draw Wild Cards.  For the first time in the tournament’s history, the three winners of the Acura Classic’s local “Opportunity Tournaments,” including Brittany Augustine from Carson, Coco Vandeweghe from Rancho Sante Fe, and Asia Muhammed from Las Vegas, will each receive Main Draw Wild Cards, rather than entry into the singles Qualifying Draw.  In addition to these Main Draw Wild Cards, three singles Qualifying Draw Wild Cards were given to Emma Murphy, Alexandra Stevenson and Anna Tatishvili. The two remaining Wild Cards (one for the Main Draw and one for Qualifying) will be announced on Friday prior to the Draw.

Noted Promotion Sports’ Raquel Giscafré: “We’ve always been delighted to support and nurture talented local players with our Opportunity Tournaments. Now, in our final year, we really wanted to show our appreciation to our ‘hometown’ and at the same time give a helping hand to the stars of tomorrow. That’s why we’ve upgraded our Opportunity Tournament winners from Singles Qualifying into the Main Draw. These young players will now literally get the opportunity of a lifetime and will truly be able to test their mettle against many of the world’s top players.”

Three Recipients of “Opportunity Tournament” Main Draw Wild Cards…
16-year-old Asia Muhammed, a protégé of Andre Agassi, has consistently been one of the top-ranked young players in the U.S. since 2003. She defeated top seed Emma Murphy to claim the third Acura Classic Opportunity Tournament this year. Upon hearing the news about her Main Draw Wild Card, Muhammed said: “I think it’s really amazing that the tournament is giving younger players like us an opportunity to enter the Main Draw this year – we all know these spots could have been given to more experienced players.” When asked whom she hoped to play in the first round, Asia remarked: “I really don’t care who I draw, it’s all about the experience. It’s an incredible opportunity to be able to watch these great players close up and copy what they do!”

15-year-old Brittany Augustine won this year’s first Opportunity Tournament. She first picked up a tennis racket six years ago at the Richie Valens Tennis Center in the San Fernando Valley. She now trains at Carson’s Home Depot Center with her coach Tony Brock and is part of the Arthur Ashe Safe Passage Tennis Program. A highlight of her career was winning the USTA National Winter Championship for Girls aged 14 in 2004.

Rancho Santa Fe resident Coco Vandeweghe received a Main Draw Wild Card for the second year in a row. Sports runs in Coco’s family – her grandfather, Dr. Ernie Vandeweghe, played seven seasons with the New York Knicks, and her uncle Kiki Vandeweghe is the former general manager of the Denver Nuggets.  Said Coco: “I’m really looking forward to playing in the Acura Classic’s Main Draw this year, and I’m getting in as many practice sets as I can. My dream is to play against Venus Williams.” When asked about that possibility, Coco responded with a smile: “She better be ready!”

And Three Qualifying Round Wild Card Recipients…
Alexandra Stevenson is a local fan favorite who graduated from La Jolla Country Day School and made headlines in 1999 when she entered the Qualifying Round at Wimbledon and made it all the way to the semifinal. She will be making her 8th appearance at the Acura Classic. Her best year was in 2001 when she made it through three rounds of Qualifying and defeated Amy Frazier in the first round of Main Draw, losing in the second round to Martina Hingis.

24-year-old Emma Murphy has played in ITF events but will be making her debut on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. A native of Ireland, Murphy currently resides in San Diego where she is coached by Patricia Tarabini.

17-year-old Anna Tatishvili was born in Tbilsi, Georgia, and currently resides in Boca Raton where she trains at the Chris Evert Academy. A highlight of her young career was defeating  Sania Mirza in three sets in the first round of Miami’s Sony Ericsson Open in 2006.

For more information and to purchase tickets for the Acura Classic, fans can call the Tournament Box Office at 760-438-5683, or visit www.acuraclassic.com.  Free parking for attendees will be available for opening weekend on Saturday and Sunday, July 28th and 29th.

Promotion Sports, Inc., which owns the Acura Classic and promotes a variety of professional tennis events, is a private corporation headquartered in Carlsbad, California. Founded in 1982 by Raquel Giscafré and Jane Stratton, former professional tennis players, the company is dedicated to promoting sports and women’s tennis worldwide.

The Acura Classic is sponsored by American Honda Motor Co., Inc.