 WTT SMASH HITS NOTES – December 4, 2009:
Sir Elton John, Billie Jean King select teams for WTT Smash Hits;
All-star charity event to be streamed live on WTT.com
ELTON, BILLIE JEAN SELECT TEAMS: Sir Elton John and Billie Jean King take their coaching roles seriously for their annual charity tennis event, WTT Smash Hits, set for Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge. The two longtime friends have already started their preparation by selecting their team lineups for the event. Elton John tabbed Serena Williams to head up his squad while Andy Roddick takes the lead for Team Billie Jean. Joining Williams on Team Elton is former world No. 1 in doubles Anna Kournikova who is making her 7th consecutive Smash Hits appearance, Tommy Haas who is ranked No. 17 in singles, and former top 15 player Jan-Michael Gambill, a WTT favorite with the Boston Lobsters. Along with Roddick, King rounded out her roster with 3-time Grand Slam singles champion Lindsay Davenport, current world No. 1 in doubles Liezel Huber, 2009 NCAA singles champion Devin Britton and local favorite and former world No. 6 Chanda Rubin of Lafayette, La.
In its 17-year history, WTT Smash Hits has raised more than $9 million for the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF). The event, presented by the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation and hosted by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation (BRAF), will benefit EJAF and AIDS charities serving the Greater Baton Rouge area.
The two teams will face off in a modified World TeamTennis match, playing one set each of men’s singles, women’s doubles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles. Sets are first to five games with a 9-point tiebreaker at 4-4. Games are no-ad, scoring is cumulative and service lets are playable.
TEAMS: Two teams of tennis stars will be coached by Sir Elton John and Billie Jean King.
TEAM ELTON: Sir Elton John (coach); Jan-Michael Gambill, Tommy Haas, Anna Kournikova, Serena Williams
TEAM BILLIE JEAN: Billie Jean King (coach); Devin Britton, Lindsay Davenport, Liezel Huber, Andy Roddick, Chanda Rubin
SCHEDULE OF PLAY:
Pro-Celebrity match: Evening begins at 7 p.m. with a special celebrity match featuring Elton John/Serena Williams vs. Andy Roddick/Anna Kournikova. (Note: Pro-Celebrity set does not count toward total scores)
Order of Play:
Mixed Doubles: Tommy Haas/Serena Williams (Team Elton) vs. Andy Roddick/Chanda Rubin (Team Billie Jean)
Women’s Doubles: Serena Williams/Anna Kournikova (Team Elton) vs. Liezel Huber/Lindsay Davenport (Team Billie Jean)
Men’s Doubles: Tommy Haas/Jan-Michael Gambill (Team Elton) vs. Andy Roddick/Devin Britton (Team Billie Jean)
Men’s Singles: Tommy Haas (Team Elton) vs. Andy Roddick (Team Billie Jean)
LIVE STREAMING ON WTT.COM FOR SMASH HITS : Watch live as some of the biggest names in tennis team up with Sir Elton John and Billie Jean King for a great cause. Serena Williams, Andy Roddick, Anna Kournikova, Tommy Haas and Lindsay Davenport are a few of the stars set for WTT Smash Hits in Baton Rouge on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 7 pm Central. Fans can watch video coverage of the event online at www.WTT.com/livestream. Mary Carillo and Harry Cicma will be in the booth and Jimmy Frederick of Baton Rouge’s Cox 4 will be the sideline reporter for both the television broadcast and live streaming event. The charity event raises funds for the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Baton Rouge area AIDS charities. The lineup of players, which also includes Liezel Huber, Jan-Michael Gambill, Chanda Rubin and Devin Britton, will form two teams coached by John and King, and play the World TeamTennis format. For more information, visit www.WTT.com/SmashHits.
The event will air locally on Cox 4 Baton Rouge/Lafayette, Cox Sports Television (CST Louisiana), Cox 10 New Orleans (check local listings for dates/times), and also airs on Tennis Channel on the following dates:
12/19/2009 at 7:00 p.m.; 12/20/2009 at 9:00 a.m.; 1/5/2010 at 9:00 p.m. (all times Eastern).
MEDIA CONTACT: for credentials or more information, contact Rosie Crews at 817.684.0366 or rcrews@wtt.com
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