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Swetha Kannan

Advertisement

Bangalore Feb. 6 The organisers of the Sony Ericsson International WTA tour, to be held in Bangalore this month, believe they have served an ace with Serena Williams, the winner of this year's Australian Open.

Apart from banking on her star value, the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association, which is bringing out the tournament, also hopes that the promotional activities surrounding the main event will add to the excitement.

"Serena's presence is a major win for sponsors in terms of perception of the event. It is creating a lot of buzz," says Mr Sundar Raju, Tournament Director, Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA). "Sania Mirza too has enough fan following," says Mr Sunil Yajaman, Tournament Organiser.

Events, attractions

The events and attractions include a charity auction organised by Vijay Amritraj, tennis clinics for children, interactions with celebrities, fashion show, a mini tennis court, speed gun to check one's serving speed and a food court. The major draw is expected to be the Market Square - over 5,400 sq ft and housing 30 stalls that will showcase and sell several lifestyle products.

"While all our 18 sponsors will be given stalls, the others who have confirmed participation include Rajesh Exports and Ripple Fragrance. Damas too has expressed its desire," says Mr Yajaman. "The idea is to give spectators a break ... and transform the sporting spectacle into a lifestyle event," he says.

Mr Yajaman expects a complete sell-out on all the seven days - "a total of over 50,000 spectators. We also have 20 exclusive boxes for corporate booking."

While the title sponsor is Sony Ericsson, other sponsors and partners include Canara Bank, BSNL, Prestige group, Apollo Hospital, Chancery, and Mercedez Benz. The KSLTA has drawn up a budget of Rs 6 crore for the entire event, which will be telecast on Zee Sports.

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