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April 26, 2004 | Directions to College Park

Head Coach Martin Blackman and the AU men's tennis team will host the Intelsat Pro Am Tennis Challenge May 2 at AU.

WASHINGTON - Local telecommunications provider Intelsat has agreed to be the title sponsor for American University’s first ever Pro Am Tennis Challenge.

The event will be held on May 2nd at AU’s Reeves Courts with a dinner to follow at nearby Chef Geoff’s Restaurant. In the event of rain, the backup location is at The Tennis Center in College Park.

AU Men’s Head Coach Martin Blackman has firm commitments from the following ATP/WTA Players: Malavai Washington, Zina Garrison, Jimmy Arias, Richey Reneberg, Jeff Tarango, Elliot Teltscher, Fred McNair and Alex O’Brien.

The day will start with a warm up clinic put on by the the pros from 2:30 - 3:00pm. The pro am will begin with round robin doubles play followed by the semifinals and finals of the event. Each team will consist of one pro and three amateurs. If rain forces the competition indoors, the event will begin at 4 p.m.

Some of the prizes for this year’s event will include tickets to the US Open, Legg Mason, and Wimbledon tennis tournaments. Each participant of this year’s event will receive a custom gift package as well.

Proceeds from the event will be divided as follows: 90% will go to the men’s and women’s tennis programs, and 10% will go to the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation.

The AU men's and women's tennis teams are coming off a stellar seasons, both taking home Patriot League team championships and berths to the NCAA tournament. The title for the men marks their third straight, while for the women, it is the second title since joining the league in 2001. In addition, Women's Head Coach Carol Daniels was recently named the PAtriot League Coach of the Year for the second time.