Andre Agassi, Summer Sanders, Mario, Serena Williams, Quddus, BBMak and Andy
Roddick to Headline World's Largest Family Music and Tennis Extravaganza
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Aug. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The USTA today announced that
tennis stars Andre Agassi, Serena Williams, and Andy Roddick, co-hosts Olympic
Gold Medalist/TV personality Summer Sanders and MTV VJ Quddus, and new,
chart-topping musical talent Mario and BBMak will headline Arthur Ashe Kids'
Day presented by Aetna. The seventh annual day-long festival of kids' tennis
activities -- including interactive games, musical entertainment, free clinics
and the World TeamTennis finals -- will take place Saturday, August 24 at the
USTA National Tennis Center, in Flushing, N.Y. Arthur Ashe Kids' Day is the
official kick off event for the US Open that runs August 26 - September 8.
Arthur Ashe Kids' Day is renowned for breaking some of music's biggest
acts including Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, O-Town, Lil' Bow Wow, Jessica
Simpson, 98 Degrees, and Hanson. And this year's talent is no exception.
J Records' new star, Mario, 15, has been identified for a long career
along the lines of Usher, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and other young
sensations that came before him. This week, his debut album, Mario, entered
the Billboard Top 200 at No. 9, while his smash single, "Just A Friend 2002,"
climbs to No. 5 on the Billboard Top 40 chart.
In 2000, British group BBMak garnered over one million sales worldwide
with its debut Sooner or Later, an album that spawned two Top 40 hits ("Back
Here" and "Still On Your Side"). The band -- Christian Burns, Mark Barry and
Stephen McNally -- has recently released its new CD, Into Your Head, with a
Top 40 single, "Out of My Heart (Into Your Head)."
Presented by Aetna and produced by the USTA, Arthur Ashe Kids' Day honors
tennis legend Arthur Ashe and continues his mission of using tennis as a means
to instill in kids the values of humanitarianism, leadership and academic
excellence.
"Arthur Ashe Kids' Day is about perpetuating the legacy of Arthur Ashe and
his appreciation and concern for young people," said Pierce O'Neil, Chief
Business Officer, USTA. "It's a great way to introduce tennis to kids and
their families in a fun and entertaining way."
Kids' activities include the IBM Speed Zone, American Express Skills
Challenge, USA Tennis games and clinics, Cartoon Network Smash Tennis and two
Nike tennis courts.
At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Summer Sanders emerged as the most
decorated U.S. swimmer, winning two gold medals, a silver medal and a bronze
medal. Sanders was a sideline reporter for USA Network during the 2001 US
Open. Since 1997, Sanders has co-hosted NBA Inside Stuff.
MTV's Quddus began his career at "MTV's Summer in the Keys," co-hosting
for 'The Mandy Moore Show' and 'Total Request Live' (TRL). Currently, he is
guest hosting "TRL," hosting his own show "MTV SOUL," and has co-hosted MTV's
New Years Eve 2002, and hosted several "MTV's Spring Break 2002" shows.
Highlights of Quddus' interviews as an MTV VJ include, Kirsten Dunst, Enrique
Iglesias, Usher, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Fred Durst.
Gates open for Arthur Ashe Kids' Day at 9 a.m. on August 24 (rain date:
August 25). The Arthur Ashe Kids' Day stadium show will take place from
12-1:30 p.m. and be broadcast nationally by CBS on Sunday, August 25, from
12-2:00 p.m. (EDT).
Tickets to the event are now on sale and are available through
Ticketmaster (1-866-OPENTIX), http://usopen.org or at the USTA National Tennis
Center box office. American Express is the official card of Arthur Ashe Kids'
Day. Loge tickets cost $20 and general admission promenade tickets cost $10.
Kids 12-and-under with stadium show tickets will receive a Fila hat on a
first-come, first-served basis. Admission is free for the interactive games
and clinics which will take place on the outer courts at the USTA National
Tennis Center from 9:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Arthur Ashe Kids' Day benefits a variety of youth oriented charities and
USA Tennis NJTL (National Junior Tennis League), a program founded by Arthur
Ashe, Charlie Pasarell and Sheridan Snyder in 1969 to provide tennis
opportunities to economically disadvantaged youngsters.
The USTA owns and operates the US Open and selects and supports the teams
that represent the United States in Davis Cup, Fed Cup and the Olympic and
Paralympic Games. The USTA, the national governing body for the sport of
tennis in the United States, is a not-for-profit organization with more than
660,000 members. It invests all its resources to promote and develop the
growth of tennis, from the grass roots to the professional levels. For more
information on the USTA, log on to http://www.usta.com .
SOURCE United States Tennis Association
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Related links:
http://www.usta.com
http://www.usopen.org
CONTACT:
Justin Edelman of Edelman Sports,
+1-212-704-4430, justin.edelman@edelman.com, for USTA; or Seth
Sylvan, USTA Director of Publicity, Community Tennis,
+1-914-696-7088, sylvan@usta.com
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