See & Do

Family Circle Cup (Tennis Tournament)

After captivating the world with a fourth round finish at Wimbledon in June, and capturing the hearts of American tennis fans with a quarterfinal run at the US Open in September, the Family Circle Cup is proud to announce that 18-year-old American standout Melanie Oudin from Marietta, Georgia, has officially entered the 2010 Charleston event. Oudin is currently ranked No. 42 in the world, the highest ranking of her career, and she is the No. 3 ranked American on the WTA Tour, behind only Serena Williams and Venus Williams. A Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Premier Event, the Family Circle Cup featurese some of the biggest names in professional women's tennis. The tournament is typically held during the first or second week of April, in historic Charleston, SC. In 1973, Family Circle became the first women's magazine to fully underwrite a professional sporting event, helping to catapult women's tennis into a worldwide sport. Over the years, the Family Circle Cup has achieved many more "firsts": The Family Circle Cup was the first tournament to offer $100,000 in prize money. Before women played for significantly less prize money than men. The prize money today reaches $1,000,000, exceeding some of the richest purses in men's sports. The Family Circle Cup was also the first women's tournament to be broadcast on national television. In honor of its standard of excellence, The Family Circle Cup was the first recipient of the WTA Tour Tournament Achievement Award. It has also been a launching pad for many world-class players, including Steffi Graf, Jennifer Capriatti and Gabriela Sabatini, all of whom made career-setting first impressions at the tournament. And finally, since 1973, the Family Circle has been the longest-running title sponsor of a women's professional tennis tournament. Don't miss this exciting event and the 32-acre world-class facility it calls home.

Visit our Website at: www.familycirclecup.com.