WTA's Mercury Insurance Open Returns To The La Costa Resort In Carlsbad

CARLSBAD, Calif. (May 11, 2011) – Mercury Insurance, specializing in personal auto and homeowners’ insurance, announced today that it has renewed its title sponsorship of the Mercury Insurance Open presented by Tri-City Medical Center through 2012.  The 2011 Mercury Insurance Open, a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) event, will be held July 30 through August 7 at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California.

This year’s event will feature a 56-player singles draw, a 16-team doubles draw and offer $721,000 in prize money. In addition, Mercury Insurance is working closely with tournament officials to expand the fan experience at La Costa Resort and Spa. (Details on tournament enhancements will be announced in the near future.)

“We are very pleased to continue our sponsorship of this world-class event, and we’re looking forward to an even bigger and better tournament this summer,” said Erik Thompson, advertising director for Mercury Insurance, the third largest private-passenger auto insurance company in California.  “The Mercury Insurance Open is the perfect platform for us to demonstrate our commitment to our customers and the communities in which they live.  We are looking forward to building on last year’s success and continuing to grow the Mercury Insurance Open into one of the region’s top sporting events.”

Mercury Insurance was directly responsible for the return of women’s professional tennis to the greater San Diego area in 2010 after a two-year hiatus, according to Raquel Giscafre, tournament director of the Mercury Insurance Open.   (Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova won the 2010 singles title when she defeated Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.)

“This tournament has meant so much to the community over the years and we are thankful Mercury helped bring it back to life,” said Giscafre, about the event that was an annual women’s tour stop from 1984-2007. “It really shows how dedicated Mercury is to its customers and the Southern California tennis community. This event has a huge impact on the San Diego area, both financially and emotionally, and we are excited about the opportunity to continue growing this event.”

Individual tournament tickets are on sale at www.MercuryInsuranceOpen.com or by phone at

(760) 930-7032. The tournament is currently offering ticket packages at (760) 930-7032.

The Mercury Insurance Open is a participating tournament in the Olympus US Open Series. The US Open Series, now in its eighth year, is a six-week summer tennis season that links 10 ATP World Tour and WTA tournaments together. The series leads into the US Open. The Mercury Insurance Open is the second women’s event within the 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).                  

About Mercury Insurance

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. Founded in 1962, Mercury specializes in offering quality insurance at affordable prices – core values that distinguish Mercury in the marketplace. 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 Octagon Tennis

Octagon’s history and tradition in tennis dates back nearly 40 years. Octagon has played an important role in the globalization of professional tennis. Our long-standing reputation for integrity is the foundation of our leadership position in the industry. Our mission is to serve as the pre-eminent management and marketing agency worldwide for the representation of tennis players. For more information visit www.octagontennis.com