Belinda Bencic
Bianca Andreescu
Sofia Kenin
Team Americas and Team World members to compete in Canada’s Rogers Cup ahead of August 20 matchups at Times Union Center in Albany, NY
ALBANY, N.Y. – Four of the world’s top women’s tennis players slated to compete at this month’s inaugural Aurora Games are in action this week at a tournament in Toronto, Ontario as they prepare to compete in the six-sport, six-day all-women’s sports and entertainment festival being held in downtown Albany, NY, from August 20-25.
Belinda Bencic (Switzerland), Bianca Andreescu (Canada), Sofia Kenin (United States) and Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) are entered in Canada’s Rogers Cup.
Andreescu and Kenin will join Monica Puig (Puerto Rico) to form the roster for Team Americas at the Aurora Games. Kenin replaces Bethanie Mattek-Sands on Team Americas.
The trio will take on Team World which will feature Bencic, Azarenka and Garbine Muguruza (Spain).
All six of the Aurora Games tennis competitors are ranked among the WTA’s top 50 singles players. Bencic leads the way at No. 12, followed by Andreescu at No. 27, Muguruza at No. 28, Kenin at No. 29, Azarenka at No. 39 and Puig at No. 43.
The tennis competition, presented by HFactor Water, will kick off the inaugural Aurora Games on Tuesday, August 20 at 7 p.m. at the Times Union Center in Albany. The competition will feature three singles and two doubles matches utilizing fast-paced “no ad” scoring.
“Grand Slam champions and winners of several international tournaments are coming to Albany for an evening of world-class tennis,” said Aurora Games Executive Producer Jerry Solomon. “The tennis competition will showcase some of the premier women’s players in the world following an opening ceremony that fans won’t want to miss.”
Tuesday evening will include the Aurora Games Opening Ceremonies, which will be hosted by actress, author and activist Olivia Munn. The ceremony, which will precede the tennis competition, will usher in the start of the Aurora Games with a “parade of flags” representing more than 20 countries with participating athletes. The evening will also include musical performances, a presentation of the Aurora Games Athletes’ Bill of Rights, and an unveiling of the Babe Didrickson Zaharias Trophy.
Approximately 150 world-class athletes, including Olympic medalists and national champions from around the globe, are set to compete for Team Americas versus Team World at the Aurora Games. In addition to tennis, the event will feature competition in women’s gymnastics, basketball, figure skating, ice hockey and beach volleyball.
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee and five-time Olympic gold medalist Nadia Comaneci will serve as honorary team captains during the Aurora Games. Joyner-Kersee, an American track and field icon, will lead the athletes representing Team Americas. Comaneci, the legendary Romanian gymnast, will guide those competing for Team World.
Individual session tickets for the Aurora Games are on-sale now at www.Ticketmaster.com. Tickets start at just $15 and include access to the Aurora Games FanZone featuring music, athlete meet and greets, food and entertainment. Children may qualify for half-price tickets based on seating selection.
Group sales can be reserved by contacting Carrie Berger at (617) 688-6128.
For sponsorship information, contact Karen Scott Happer at [email protected].
The official hotel of the Aurora Games is Hilton Albany, located approximately .2 miles from the Times Union Center at 40 Lodge Street in downtown Albany. Aurora Games guests can save on overnight stays by using code 5AGCB when securing reservations by phone at 1-866-691-1183 or online at https://bit.ly/2U2n1mC.
For up-to-date information about the Aurora Games, visit AuroraGamesFestival.com or follow the Games on Twitter @AuroraGamesFest.