AMERICAN EXPRESS LAUNCHES US OPEN AND US OPEN SERIES SUMMER OF ACES
For Every ACE Served During the Tournament Series, American Express Makes Contribution to the USTA Tennis & Education Foundation’s “Aces for Kids”; First of Series of Activities American Express Will Launch Around the US Open
NEW YORK, July 21, 2005 -- American Express today announced the launch of the Summer of ACES Program where for every ace served during match play on stadium court at each tournament throughout the US Open Series (USOS) and US Open, American Express will donate funds to the USTA Tennis & Education Foundation (USTA T&EF)'s “Aces for Kids” initiative. “Aces for Kids” strives to promote healthy, active lifestyles by providing disadvantaged, at-risk children the opportunity to learn to play tennis and improve their academic skills in a structured format. American Express is the “Official Card” and “Official Travelers Cheque” of the US Open, the highest attended annual sporting event in the world, held in New York, August 29 – September 11, 2005 as well as “Official Sponsor of the US Open Series,” the six-week summer tennis season that links all major North American tournaments to the US Open.
American Express will donate $50 to “Aces for Kids” for every ace served during match play on the main court of the 10 US Open Series tournaments and $100 to “Aces for Kids” for every ace served during match play at the US Open in Arthur Ashe Stadium. This is the first introduction of the American Express ACES program in the US, building upon the global success of similar American Express-sponsored ACES programs at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
“We are looking forward to a summer filled with aces,” said Rich Lehrfeld, vice president, Sponsorship Marketing, American Express. “Our contributions to the USTA Tennis and Education Foundation's “Aces for Kids” provides support and guidance to young people in a variety of communities and helps to inspire players across the US Open and US Open Series to be on top of their game for a higher cause.”
“American Express' generous support of our ‘Aces for Kids' program adds a new element of excitement and meaning to the aces served during the US Open Series and the US Open,” said Karen Martin-Eliezer, Executive Director, USTA Tennis & Education Foundation. “The funding will help support our mission of using tennis and education to help young people succeed in life on and off the court.”
| USOS Markets/Schedule | ||
| RCA Championships (Men's) | July 18-24 | Indianapolis, IN |
| Mercedes-Benz Cup (Women's) | July 25-31 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Bank of the West Classic (Women's) | July 25-31 | Stanford, CA |
| Legg Mason Tennis Classic (Men's) | August 1-7 | Washington, DC |
| Acura Classic (Women's) | August 1-7 | San Diego, CA |
| Rogers Cup (Men's) | August 8-14 | Montreal, CAN |
| JPMorgan Chase Open (Women's) | August 8-14 | Carson, CA |
| Western & Southern Financial | August 15-21 | Cincinnati, OH |
| Group Masters (Men's) Rogers Cup presented by American Express (Women's) | August 15-21 | Toronto, CAN |
| Pilot Pen Tennis (Men's & Women's) | August 21-28 | New Haven, CT |
A Host of American Express US Open Activities
In recent years, American Express has worked to elevate the profile of tennis with programs like ACES, as well as enhance the experience of the US Open for fans and Cardmembers. Cardmember benefits at this year's US Open include, American Express® Radio Live at the Open!,” – live audio feeds of the television broadcasts from CBS Sports and USA Network via single channel personal radios(1); information centers and concierge services; and pedestrian pedicabs to shuttle all attendees to and from the entrance of the USTA National Tennis Center. Additionally, American Express will again extend the reach of tennis and the US Open beyond Flushing Meadows by hosting US Open viewing events in various locations throughout New York City.
The US Open Series is the six-week summer tennis season linking 10 major ATP and Sony-Ericsson WTA Tour tournaments to the US Open. The US Open Series launched in 2004, and resulted in record attendance and TV viewership with over 200 live broadcast hours. Television viewership was up over 50%, with regularly scheduled broadcasts on ESPN, CBS, NBC Sports, and The Tennis Channel. In total, the US Open Series events – including the US Open – generated a record 1.5 million attendees, 126 million TV viewers and over 15 million website visits, making it the strongest summertime property in sports. Lindsay Davenport and Lleyton Hewitt won the inaugural US Open Series.
The US Open is the highest annually attended sporting event in the world with more than 625,000 fans. More than 86 million viewers watched the 2004 US Open on CBS Sports and USA Network, and international broadcasts reached 199 countries.
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. It owns and operates the US Open, the largest annually attended sporting event in the world and, in 2004, launched the US Open Series which links 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns the 94 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S., and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. A not-for-profit organization with more than 665,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grassroots to the professional levels. For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com.
Established in 1994, the USTA Tennis & Education Foundation promotes – through tennis – educational excellence, good citizenship and self-improvement to at-risk and other special needs youth. The Foundation awards hundreds of scholarships to American youth, and supports new initiatives that reach out to inner-city youth. It also supports community tennis programs that link tennis with education to provide positive role models, academic assistance, and life skills for the prevention of substance abuse, violence and school-dropouts.
American Express Company is a diversified worldwide travel, financial and network services company founded in 1850. It is a leader in charge and credit cards, Travelers Cheques, travel, financial planning, investment products, insurance and international banking.
(1) Radios are subject to availability.
