The 2003 Siebel Open, the premier men’s professional tennis
tournament in the Bay Area, has announced that four-time Siebel
Open Champion Andre Agassi and U.S. Open Champion Pete Sampras will
return.
SAN JOSE – The 2003 Siebel Open, the premier men’s professional tennis tournament in the Bay Area, has announced that four-time Siebel Open Champion Andre Agassi and U.S. Open Champion Pete Sampras will return to San Jose to compete in the 2003 Siebel Open men’s professional tennis tournament.
Also entered into the field of 32 players are rising American superstars Andy Roddick, James Blake and Jan-Michael Gambill – plus Asian #1 Paradorn Srichaphan. The Siebel Open will be played at HP Pavilion at San Jose (formerly Compaq Center at San Jose), February 10 – 16, 2003.
Individual tickets to the 2003 Siebel Open can be purchased beginning December 9. Tickets can be purchased at the HP Pavilion at San Jose ticket office, Ticketmaster ticket centers located in Wherehouse Music stores, Tower Records, Ritmo Latino and select Rite Aid Stores throughout the Bay Area, online at ticketmaster.com, charge by phone at 998-TIXS or check out the official Siebel Open Web site at siebelopen.com.
“We are pleased to have six world-class players already entered in our 2003 event,” said Barry MacKay, Tournament Chairman. “We are looking forward to another entertaining and exciting tournament in 2003.”
Agassi and Sampras are scheduled to play their first round matches on Tuesday, February 11. Agassi will kick-off the evening session at 7 p.m. followed by the Sampras singles match. On Wednesday, February 12, Roddick will play his first round match at 7 p.m. followed by the Blake match. Opponents for all four matches will be determined at the 2003 Siebel Open official Draw Event to be held at the Santa Clara Marriott Hotel on Friday, February 7 at noon.
“We are delighted to present such an exciting field at the 2003 tournament. We’ve got Pete and Andre – the Grand Slam record holder and the world’s most captivating player – headlining our field,” said Bill Rapp, Tournament Director. “This may be the last opportunity in history for Bay Area tennis fans to see both Andre and Pete compete on the same night.”
Agassi, who owns a home in the Bay Area, has won the Siebel Open title four times (’90, ’93, ’95 and ’98). He finished ranked #2 in final ATP Champions Race and captured a circuit best five titles in 2002 including the Franklin Templeton Tennis Classic in Scottsdale, AZ, Tennis Masters Series – Nasdaq-100 Open in Miami, FL, the Tennis Masters Series – Tennis Masters Roma in Rome, Italy, the Mercedes-Benz Cup in Los Angeles, CA and the Tennis Masters Series – Tennis Masters Madrid in Madrid, Spain. He has won seven Grand Slam titles in his career and is one of only five men ever to win each of the four Grand Slam titles at least once (1992 Wimbledon; 1995, 2000 and 2001 Australian Open; 1994 and 1999 U.S. Open; and 1999 French Open).
Returning to the Siebel Open for the first time since 1999 is the reigning U.S. Open Champion Pete Sampras. Arguably the greatest player to ever play the game, Sampras has captured more Grand Slam Championships (14) than anyone in the history of the sport. The winningest active player on the ATP circuit, Sampras has finished the year ranked in the top ten for 12 consecutive seasons including a stretch of six consecutive years (1993-’98) when he finished as the top-ranked player in the world.
Sampras finished 2002 ranked #13 in the ATP Champions Race final standings. He is a two-time Siebel Open champion having first captured the title in 1996 with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Agassi and again in 1997 with a victory over Greg Rusedski. He also reached the Final of the Siebel Open in 1998 and was a quarterfinalist in 1999. During his career, Sampras has won more than $43 million in prize money.
Andy Roddick will be making his third consecutive appearance at the 2003 Siebel Open. Roddick, who reached the semifinals of the 2002 Siebel Open, finished 2002 as the 10th ranked player in the ATP Champions Race.
James Blake, who made his Siebel Open debut in 2002, will join the singles field of players again in 2003. Blake, who was an All-American at Harvard University before turning professional, captured his first career ATP singles title in August with a 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 victory over Thailand’s Paradorn Srichaphan to win the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington D.C.
Making his third appearance at the 2003 Siebel Open is Thai sensation Paradorn Srichaphan. Srichaphan captured his second career ATP title with a 6-7(2), 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Chile’s Marcelo Rios to win the 2002 Stockholm Open.
American Jan-Michael Gambill will be making his sixth consecutive appearance at the 2003 Siebel Open. Gambill, who finished 2002 as the 40th ranked player in the ATP Champions Race, reached the semifinals at the 2002 Siebel Open losing to eventual champion Lleyton Hewitt. Gambill has represented the United States in Davis Cup play and is one of few players to play both his forehand and backhand with two hands. Gambill has career wins over Agassi, Kuerten, Sampras, Rios and Hewitt.
The Siebel Open is the second oldest men’s professional tennis tournament in the United States, first hosted at Monterey’s Old Del Monte Hotel in 1889. It has been won by virtually all of the tennis world’s superstars including Arthur Ashe, John McEnroe, Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, Stefan Edberg, Ivan Lendl, Michael Chang and, more recently, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Mark Philippoussis, Greg Rusedski and Lleyton Hewitt. One of 68 tournaments in 31 countries on the ATP circuit, the Siebel Open is owned and operated by Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E). SVS&E is a division of the San Jose Sharks organization that manages all or parts of the business operations of the Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose as well as other properties.
