Tennis tournament
The Amelia Island Championships was a women's tennis tournament held in Amelia Island Plantation and later Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, United States. The Women's Tennis Association event was an International series tournament played on outdoor green clay courts from 1980 to 2010.
History.
Formerly the "Bausch &amp; Lomb Championships", the tournament lost its title sponsor when Bausch &amp; Lomb did not renew its contract following the 2008 event at Amelia Island Plantation on Amelia Island, Florida. Tournament organizers Octagon hired Axia Public Relations, a public relations firm, to find a new title sponsor. In August 2008, Axia and Octagon announced Fortune 1000 global staffing firm MPS Group (NYSE:MPS) of Jacksonville, Florida as the official tournament title sponsor. Octagon moved the annual event to Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach as part of the tournament changes to attract more attendees and enjoy upgraded facilities.
On May 21, 2010, The WTA announced that the event would not be held in 2011. The WTA wanted to reduce the number of spring clay court events and the tournament offered the smallest prize money. The WTA offered replacement dates in February and July, but no facility was available in February, and temperatures in July can be unbearable.
One of the most unusual matches in the tournament's history occurred in the first round of the 2002 event. Anne Kremer defeated Jennifer Hopkins 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, with both players serving a combined 29 double faults. An investigation discovered that the court markings had been incorrectly measured, resulting in a smaller service box than normal.
References.
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