News

San Diego, CA — Octagon’s tournament officials for the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour stop in San Diego have today announced that Mercury Insurance Group has signed on to become the title sponsor of the Mercury Insurance Open. Played at La Costa Resort and Spa from July 31-August 8 in beautiful Carlsbad, California, the Mercury Insurance Open marks the return of women’s professional tennis to San Diego after a two-year hiatus. The event will be televised on the Tennis Channel and ESPN 2 and will comprise one of the 10 events of the Olympus US Open Series.

“We are so excited to have Mercury Insurance come on board as the title sponsor of what will certainly be a great tennis tournament at an intimate venue like La Costa,” said Raquel Giscafre, Tournament Director. “The residents of San Diego and greater Southern California are very passionate about tennis and we believe the Mercury Insurance Open will set the standard for all future events.”

Mercury Insurance Group is one of California’s leading automobile insurance providers. As part of their sponsorship activation, the company has planned a series of promotions and incentives for their policyholders and Southern California tennis fans. San Diego has traditionally been one of the Tour’s most popular stops and is expected to draw a strong field of top female players. WTA stars Ana Ivanovic, Daniela Hantuchova, Dinara Safina and Svetlana Kuznetsova have already entered the Mercury Insurance Open.

“Mercury Insurance Group is honored to join the Olympus US Open Series and be a part of this marquee sporting event as the title sponsor of the Mercury Insurance Open,” said Gabriel Tirador, president and CEO of Mercury Insurance Group. “We are thrilled that women’s professional tennis is returning to our backyard and look forward to providing unique experiences and exclusive opportunities for Mercury’s policyholders, agents and tennis fans throughout Southern California.”

As the official insurance provider and title sponsor of the Mercury Insurance Open, the company’s logo will be prominently featured on all advertising and promotional materials and will be integrated into on-court and in-stadium signage. Additionally, Mercury will be included in all tournament activities held throughout the week.

“We’re thrilled to have women’s professional tennis back in San Diego and equally excited to have the support of Mercury Insurance for this great Olympus US Open Series event,” said J. Wayne Richmond, General Manager, Olympus US Open Series for the USTA. “This tournament has a long and storied history, and this important sponsorship will allow this event to grow and thrive as it again brings world-class tennis to the fans of San Diego.”

For more information on the event including tickets, please call (760) 930-7032 or visit mercuryinsuranceopen.com.

About Mercury Insurance: Mercury Insurance (NYSE: 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.

Since 1962, Mercury Insurance has demonstrated its commitment to customer satisfaction by offering quality insurance at affordable prices. Today, good service and good pricing are the core values that distinguish Mercury in the marketplace. For more information about Mercury Insurance, visit mercuryinsurance.com.

About the USTA: Now in its seventh season, the Olympus US Open Series has established itself as a true regular season of hard court tennis, linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. Fans can follow the action with nearly 200 hours of live television coverage, culminating each week with back-to-back men’s and women’s finals every Sunday afternoon. Players battle for more than $37 million and a chance for bonus prize money at the US Open. In 2008, Olympus became the first title sponsor of the Series. The Olympus US Open Series is also supported by sponsors American Express, Evian and Grand Marnier.

Sam Querrey won the 2009 Olympus US Open Series men’s title and Elena Dementieva won the women’s title. In 2007, Roger Federer collected the biggest paycheck in tennis history — $2.4 million — for winning US Open and the Olympus US Open Series. In 2005, Kim Clijsters also captured both the US Open and the Olympus US Open Series, winning $2.2 million — the largest purse in women’s sports history.

About Octagon Tennis: Octagon has a rich and proud history in the sport of tennis, having managed the careers of 63 Grand Slam Champions and 11 Olympic gold medalists over three decades. In addition, Octagon owns or manages more professional tennis events than any other agency with WTA and ATP events including the Kremlin Cup, Brasil Open, the Movistar Open and the Western & Southern Financial Group Championships, which is also part of the Olympus US Open Series, among others. For more information, please visit octagontennis.com.