Thursday, September 19, 2019

Shriver, other legends set for club's 100th-birthday gala

   International Tennis Hall of Famer and ESPN commentator Pam Shriver will emcee the Sutter Lawn Tennis Club's 100th-anniversary celebration on Saturday night in Sacramento.
   Shriver will moderate a Q&A with Hall of Famers Rosemary Casals, Dennis Ralston, Nancy Richey (master player category) and Charlie Pasarell (contributor category) and former doubles star Bob Lutz after the 7 p.m. dinner, which is sold out at $150 to $250 per person.
   All except Shriver, a 57-year-old Baltimore native, played in the Central California Championships at Sutter Lawn, according to Centennial Committee member John Rodrigues. The last edition of the tournament was held in 1972.
   Organizers expect 350 guests at the formal affair on Saturday night. The attire is tuxedos or suits for men and gowns for women. All will wear tennis shoes to avoid damaging Sutter Lawn's hard courts, on which the dinner will be held.
   Shriver won 21 Grand Slam women's doubles titles (all but one with Martina Navratilova), one major mixed doubles crown (the French Open with Spain's Emilio Sanchez) and one Olympic gold medal (women's doubles with Zina Garrison at Seoul in 1988).
   The public is invited to attend two exhibition matches on Saturday and two on Sunday.
   A celebrity doubles match featuring Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, former California State Treasurer and gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides, professional doubles star Raquel Atawo (formerly Kops-Jones) and ex-doubles standout Christina Fusano Hinds is scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. The Sacramento State men will face UC Davis at noon.
   Atawo, a 36-year-old Fresno native, has won 18 WTA doubles titles and been ranked as high as No. 10 in the world in that category (2015). She reached the doubles semifinals in the Australian Open in 2014 and at Wimbledon in 2015 and 2016, all with compatriot Abigail Spears.
   Fusano Hinds, a 38-year-old Sacramento native, climbed to a career-high No. 84 in doubles in 2008. She and Atawo won the 2003 NCAA doubles title as Cal teammates.
   On Sunday at 12:30 p.m., Fusano Hinds and Atawo will play local teaching pros Brian Martinez and Whit Livingston in a "Battle of the Sexes" match. The Cal and Stanford men will meet at 3 p.m.
   Tickets, which will be available at the door starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. on Sunday, cost $20 for both days and $15 for one day. Admission for youths under 16 is $5. Proceeds go to Sacramento State.

No comments:

Post a Comment