STANFORD, Calif.- The Stanford women's tennis program will be well-represented next week when the 2009 Bank of the West Classic gets underway at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium. The qualifying round begins on Saturday, July 25, and main draw competition starts Monday, July 27.

Junior Hilary Barte will be competing in the main draw as a wildcard while incoming freshman Stacey Tan has received a wildcard in the qualifying draw. Their opponents will be announced at a later date.

A two-time All-American in both singles and doubles, Barte has been Stanford's top player during her first two seasons while compiling a career singles record of 65-14 (overall) and 44-5 (dual). Barte was named the 2009 Pac-10 Player of the Year, becoming Stanford's first selection since 2002 and 14th in school history. In her first collegiate season, Barte was tabbed the ITA National Rookie of the Year and Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. She has competed in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championship in each of her first two seasons, earning a runner-up finish in doubles with teammate Lindsay Burdette in this year's championship match.

Barte received a wildcard entry to the qualifying draw last year. The Cardinal will be represented in the qualifying draw once again this year with Tan, an incoming freshman from Lakewood, Calif. A four-year letterwinner from Lakewood High School, Tan has earned a top-five ranking among Southern California junior 18 players.

The 2009 Bank of the West Classic player field is loaded and boasts a list worthy of a Grand Slam event. Players in the tournament draw have combined to win 21 Grand Slam singles titles and include the singles champions from seven of the last 11 Grand Slam events.

Scheduled to appear are the following: Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Jelena Jankovic, Elena Dementieva and defending champion Aleksandra Wozniaki.

The Bank of the West Classic will once again be an international affair with 15 countries represented by the 24 players currently entered to play the tournament.

This year's tournament will feature a new 32-player singles draw which guarantees fans will see the top-players compete during the first round on Monday and Tuesday. The official tournament draw, and first round match-ups, will be released July 24.

Tickets for the 2009 Bank of the West Classic can be purchased by calling the box office at 866-WTA-TIXS (866-982-8497) or by logging on to www.BankoftheWestClassic.com.

Single-session tickets for the tournament's opening round start at just $23.

Full-week packages, which include tickets to all 13 sessions, start at only $530. Those who purchase a box of four full week packages will also receive four passes to the exclusive VIP Plaza Club, four invitations to the Meet the Players Party, two VIP parking passes and an autographed poster.

The Bank of the West Classic is also offering several weekend packages starting at $230.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, call the box office at 866-WTA-TIXS (866-982-8497) or log on to www.BankoftheWestClassic.com.

Bank of the West Classic:
The 39th edition of the Bank of the West Classic will take place from July 27th - August 2nd, at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium, Stanford University. The Bank of the West Classic is the longest-running women-only professional tennis tournament in the world and is the first stop of the Olympus US Open Series. A Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Tier II event, the Bank of the West Classic is a well-established Bay Area event and features a 32-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw with total prize money of $700,000. Held on Stanford University's campus at Taube Family Tennis Stadium since 1997, former champions include: Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Andrea Jaeger, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport and Venus Williams. Serving up the best in women's tennis, exceptional television coverage and with 33,000 expected to be in attendance throughout the week, the Bank of the West Classic is sure to provide world class entertainment for all ages.

Bank of the West:
One of the nation's 25 largest banks, Bank of the West was founded in San Jose 135 years ago. Bank of the West continues to be a strong participant in the local community, the kind of bank that provides great products and service while sponsoring great tennis. Based in San Francisco, Bank of the West is a full-service commercial bank with over $66 billion in assets and more than 700 banking locations in 19 Western and Midwestern states. Bank of the West originates commercial, small business and consumer loans and leases, offering a wide range of individual and other commercial banking, insurance, trust and investment products. Corporate parent BNP Paribas is rated by Standard & Poor's as one of the six strongest banks in the world. More information is available at www.bankofthewest.com.