July 21, 1999

The 1999 Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships will double the purse forthe women’s event to $50,000, tournament director Dennis Emery announcedWednesday.

The women’s prize money will now be on par with the men’s purse, makingthe 1999 Fifth Third tournament a $100,000 event. The increased money willonly serve to strengthen the tournament, which already attracts the world’stop up-and-coming talent. Former Fifth Third participants include TommyHaas, currently 16th in the world, Paul Goldstein, who upset the No. 16seed at Wimbledon earlier this month, and Lleyton Hewitt, who scored asingles victory in Australia’s Davis Cup win over the United States earlierthis week.

Emery also announced that GTE Wireless has become a sponsor at theMedallion level. “We’re thrilled to have GTE join us,” Emery said. “Theirsponsorship will enable us to make this event even better for the playersand the fans.”

New to this year’s event will be Lexington Clinic’s “Celebrity ClassicChallenger,” set for Saturday, Aug. 7. Scheduled to play are UK footballcoach Hal Mumme, UK women’s basketball coach Bernadette Mattox, TripleCrown-winning jockey Steve Cauthen and former UK great and Morehead Statecoach Kyle Macy.

The tournament, set for Aug. 2-8 at the Boone Tennis Center, is the onlyprofessional tennis event in the state. For more information, call (606)224-2276.