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Serena to Face Clijsters

New York, NY — The pairings for the two semifinal matches of the the upcoming “BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup” have been set for the March 1 event at Madison Square Garden, it was announced today.

The 2010 Australian Open Champion, inaugural BNP Paribas Showdown defending champion and the current World No. 1, Serena Williams will face off against Kim Clijsters, who captivated the tennis world after capturing the 2009 US Open title only two years after retiring from the sport. The matchup will mark the first time the two players will face each other since the semifinals of the 2009 US Open. The other semifinal will feature 2009 French Open Champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and seven-time Grand Slam Singles Champion, Venus Williams. (Head-to-Head matchups follow press release)

The pairings for the semifinal matches were determined by using the 2009 year-end rankings and having the highest ranked player take on the lowest ranked, then assigning the two remaining players to play each other. Serena finished as World No. 1 followed by Kuzetsova at No. 3, Venus was No. 6 and Clijsters finished her comeback year at No. 18.

In this fast-paced no ad scoring format, each participant will compete in a one-set semi-final with the winners advancing to a best of three-set final for the Billie Jean King Cup.

Limited VIP tickets and additional tickets for $250.00, $125.00, $75.00, $50.00 and $25.00 are currently on sale and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office, all Ticketmaster outlets and online at thegarden.com.

The “BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup” is the featured element of the national “Tennis Night in America” promotion. Through “Tennis Night in America”, the USTA will continue its efforts to grow youth participation in the sport of tennis. “Tennis Night in America” is among the sport’s largest ever grass roots initiatives.

The USTA has made this event a major component for its Youth Registration Night, where youth from all over the country can begin signing up for spring and summer league play.

The “BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup” is produced by StarGames in association with Madison Square Garden.

Posted on February 3, 2010
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