The Kennesaw State University Convocation Center will host the 16th Annual Advanta World TeamTennis (WTT) Smash Hits charity tennis event this Sunday at 1 p.m. The team tennis match will benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation as well as the Atlanta AIDS Partnership Fund. This will mark the first time since 2000 that the event has been held in the Atlanta area.
The event is hosted by Sir Elton John and Billie Jean King, who will take part in a celebrity doubles match to begin the afternoon. Local tennis stars Donald Young and Melanie Oudin will compete against the likes of Andy Roddick, Anna Kournikova and Martina Navratilova in the WTT co-ed team format.
“Elton and I have been friends since 1973 and we love getting together every year at Smash Hits,” King explained. “Elton loves to play tennis and he’s got a strong forehand. He really knows a lot about the game and has great respect for the tennis players. It’s very competitive and we both want to win. But once our teams start playing, we try to step back and just let their talent come out. We’ll both do a bit of coaching but the tennis takes center stage.”
Prior to the tennis, there will be an auction during the VIP reception where various pieces of memorabilia will be sold to the highest bidder. Included in the sale will be Sir Elton’s piano bench and King’s Centre Court seats at Wimbledon. The VIP ticket packages include courtside seating and admission to auction as well as a VIP Reception, which will begin at 11 a.m. VIP tickets are being sold for $350 online at www.ejaf.org/SmashHits08. The reception will be chaired by Dr. Bobbie Bailey, Charlie Hendon, and Sacha Taylor. Tickets to just the tennis matches are available at etix.com or at (800) 514-ETIX. Ticket prices range from $110-$39.50.
LOCAL PRODIGIES
Young is just 19 years old but has already been ranked as high as No. 73 in the world. Currently, he stands at No. 121 coming into the weekend. Just last month, Young defeated Tommy Haas in the Countrywide Classic, which was held in Los Angeles. Haas is a veteran of the pro tennis circuit, being ranked as high as fifth in the world. He was ranked No. 57 at the time Young faced him.
The hometown hero is coached by his parents, Donald Sr. and Illona, who operate College Park’s South Fulton Tennis Center. Some of the students from the Center’s Tennis in Motion Academy will be in attendance on Sunday. Young will take on 2003 U.S. Open Champion Andy Roddick, who is coming to Kennesaw on a bit of a tear after having won the China Open on Sept. 28.
Tennis legend Navratilova was scheduled to play Jana Novotna, but the latter was unable to make the event. A replacement had yet to be named, so Marietta’s own Melanie Oudin, 17, will team up with Navratilova, 51, for a doubles match. Oudin is currently listed as the world’s top junior tennis player, as she is ranked No. 1 by the USTA in their 18s girls ranking and No. 2 by the ITF World Junior rankings. The tennis sensation has already won three junior ITF tournaments in 2008, the Easter Bowl, U.S. Closed Championships and the Roehampton. Oudin is coming off of a win at the Lexington challenger, where she took home the first-place winnings of $50,000. The local star is coming off of a semifinals appearance in the Troy, AL ITF Circuit event this past weekend.
MORE ATTRACTIONS
Tennis covergirl Anna Kournikova will also grace Kennesaw with her presence this weekend, taking part in the team tennis match. Kournikova has been named one of People’s 50 Most Beautiful People on four occasions while also winning 16 WTA doubles titles in her career. The Russian athlete paired with Martina Hingis to win the Australian Open doubles title in 1999 and 2002. The duo was runner-up at the 1999 French Open.
The competition will include singles, doubles, and mixed doubles matches using the WTT team format. Sir Elton and Ms. King will each captain a team and a winner will be determined using the team rules.
The Advanta WTT Smash Hits event has raised over $8.5 million since its inception in 1993. The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) is among the world’s leading nonprofit organizations that helps prevent HIV as well as discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS. EJAF has raised over $150 since being founded in 1992.
Black can be reached at sblack@scoreatl.com.
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