Mercury Insurance and Tennis Form Perfect Doubles Team at Mercury Insurance Open

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (July 16, 2012) – Auto insurance and tennis seem as compatible as John McEnroe and line judges, but Mercury Insurance Group’s title sponsorship of this week’s Mercury Insurance Open at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. is a match made in hard court heaven.

“We’re utilizing large-scale sports sponsorships as the foundation for community outreach programs, such as our ‘Don’t Text and Drive’ initiative that debuted at last year’s tournament,” says Erik Thompson, Mercury’s advertising director. “We’ve received tremendous support from the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and its athletes who have signed our pledge, and we invite all fans to visit our booth throughout the week and do the same.  Our goal is to reduce the number of traffic accidents and save lives, which will also lower car insurance rates.”

Last year’s champ Agnieszka Radwanska (current world No. 2 and a 2012 Wimbledon finalist) and Daniela Hantuchova (No. 33) were featured in 2011 Mercury public service announcements urging drivers not to text while driving. This year, Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova (No. 15) has stepped in as the initiative’s poster girl. Fans can view her PSA on Mercury’s Facebook site at www.facebook.com/mercuryinsurance. 

“No text message is so important that it can’t wait until you’ve safely reached your destination,” says Cibulkova.  “You don’t text while playing tennis, so why would you text while driving…and risk your safety?”

Cibulkova joins French-born Marion Bartoli (No. 10), Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic (No. 20) and fellow Slovakian Hantuchova as the tournament’s marquee players.

Tickets for the 2012 Mercury Insurance Open can be purchased at mercuryinsuranceopen.com, and more information on Mercury’s “Don’t Text and Drive” initiative can be found at Facebook.com/mercuryinsurance.

ABOUT MERCURY INSURANCE (www.mercuryinsurance.com)

Mercury Insurance (MCY) is a multiple-line insurance organization offering predominantly personal automobile and homeowners insurance through a network of independent agents in California, Florida, New Jersey, Texas, Arizona, New York, Georgia, Oklahoma, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, Virginia and Pennsylvania.  Since 1962, Mercury has specialized in offering quality insurance at affordable prices – core values that distinguish Mercury in the marketplace.

ABOUT MERCURY INSURANCE OPEN

The Mercury Insurance Open presented by Tri-City Medical Center, a WTA Premier event that is part of the Emirates Airline US Open Series, will be held July 14-22, 2012 at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. The event features some of the best women’s tennis players in the world in a 28-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw. The tournament is prominently featured domestically on ESPN2 and Tennis Channel. For more information about the tournament and tickets, visit www.mercuryinsuranceopen.com or call 760-930-7032.