Miami, FL; March 12th, 2009 – The first Women’s Tennis Association Monterrey Open had double the success: it was Marion Bartoli’s first win this year and it was a significant achievement for the sport and tourism in the capital of the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon where the open was held.
“The Monterrey Tournament has placed our city at the center of attention for the sporting world, and many people traveled here from different parts of the world to see this competition.” said Luis Trevino Chapa, Director of the Tourist Office of Nuevo León
For Bartoli, the courts and the atmosphere of Monterrey gave her the perfect setting for her fourth career title and $ 40,000.
“Monterrey was absolutely perfect … there were a lot of fans … I am very happy to win this title … Of course (I will return to Mexico in 2010) I will try to be in the Acapulco open as well as win here again” said Bartoli, twelfth in the world according to the classification of the WTA, who defeated China’s Na Li up by 6-3, 6-4 in the final of Monterrey.
The success of the tournament is part of the Mexico Tourism Board’s (MTB) strategy to promote tourism through sports; the MTB’s next action will be to participate in the Sony Ericsson Open 2009 in Miami, called the fifth grand slam, which will be held from March 25 through April 5.
Along with supporting tennis, the MTB will promote destinations such as Acapulco, Cancun, Huatulco, Ixtapa, Los Cabos, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, the Riviera Maya and Riviera Nayarit.
“By participating in this important event, our idea is to show American tourists that Mexico is really an exciting place to practice this sport, while enjoying other sporting, recreational and cultural activities. Because of the favorable exchange rate, this is the perfect time to go to Mexico.” said Teresa Villarreal, director of the Miami Office of the MTB.
Mexico also hosts the largest tennis tournament in Latin America, the Acapulco Open, which ended on February 27 and handed out $ 1.2 million in prizes.
The winner of the women’s singles event, Venus Williams, enjoyed her time in the beautiful city. “I was happy to be in Acapulco. I have not seen such a tournament anywhere else in the world. It is delightful to get up and see the ocean, have breakfast on the beachfront; the people here are very enthusiastic and made me feel great“said Williams.
Mexico also offers clinics in most parts of the country, such as those taught in San Miguel Allende in the state of Guanajuato, a World Heritage Site and in the town of Jiutepec, adjacent to Cuernavaca in the state of Morelos.
And there is also the center MexTenis, which is in Lomas Cocoyoc, also in the state of Morelos, which offers world class programs, internships with high-performance, clinics, summer courses and coach trainings. The Center has produced 18 national champions from several countries and has a current enrollment of about 550 students.
About the Sony Ericcson Open:
The 2009 Sony Ericsson Open will be played March 25- April 5 at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Miami. The 12-day combined event, founded by Butch Buchholz in 1985, is owned by IMG. The Sony Ericsson Open is one of nine ATP Masters Series events on the ATP calendar, a top tier event on the Sony Ericsson WTA TOUR calendar, and features the top men’s and women’s tennis players in the world. In 2008, Nikolay Davydenko defeated Rafael Nadal for his first Sony Ericsson Open title, while Serena Williams defeated Jelena Jankovic to win her record-tying fifth title in Miami. For ticket information, call (305) 442-3367 or visit the website at www.SonyEricssonOpen.com.
About the Mexico Tourism Board
The Mexico Tourism Board (MTB) brings together the resources of federal and state governments, municipalities and private companies to promote Mexico’s tourism attractions and destinations internationally. Created in 1999, the MTB is Mexico’s tourism promotion agency, and its participants include members of both the private and public sectors. The MTB has offices throughout North America, Europe, Japan and Latin America. For more information on destinations and online trip bookings please go to www.visitmexico.com .