Pacific Life Open Tournament Just Gets Better
Review of Pacific Life Open Professional Tennis Tournament 2007, Indian Wells, Ca.
By Gordon Schaeffer

Looking for the perfect way to spend a week in the sun during the cold wet damp winters?  Well, look no further than the upcoming Pacific Life Open held March 2008, in sunny Indian Wells, CA.

                     

The Pacific Life Open boasts one of the most prestigious ATP Masters Tournaments. The Masters is a points based competition for the pros that results in an opportunity to compete in the largest money purse events in professional tennis.
 

Indian Wells now joins Miami as the only multi-week, Men and Women's combined professional event outside of the four Grand Slams. In 2007 the Pacific Life Open became the 5th most attended tennis tournament in the world.

 

Over 303,000 fans attended the 2007 Pacific Life Open during its 13 day span. Let me describe the perfect vacation where you can see world class tennis up front and personal, play tennis yourself and enjoy the warm climate of Palm Springs while your friends are shivering and looking for you in the stands on the Tennis Channel. 

 

Held in the second largest tennis stadium in the world (capacity: 16,100) at Indian Wells, CA, the Pacific Life Open showcases the combined talents of the best professional male and female tennis players. It is the world's fifth largest tennis event, and features a purse of over $5 million. The WTA Tour (women) main draw includes 96 top professionals (plus 48 qualifiers) who compete over a two-week period. In 2005, the tournament began a 96 player-draw (plus 48 qualifiers) for ATP (men) to compete simultaneously with the women.
 

As attendance and interest grows each year, The Pacific Life Open is fast becoming a journey every fan of world class tennis should make. Tournament Director Charlie Pasarell has done a fabulous job improving the tournament on a yearly basis. It's been said this is "the" choice tournament of pros and fans alike. The combination of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden venue, top players and climate make it a destination tournament that attracts an important inflow of tourist dollars in the Palm Springs economy.  

 

The 2008 Pacific Life Open, which is the first tournament of the Tennis Masters Series for 2008, will be played March 10-23, 2008. The main draw for women will commence on Thursday March 12th while the main draw for the men’s will begin a day early this year, Wednesday March 13th.

                                                               
 

 2007 Results

The tournament action and match ups for the 2007 tournament showcased some of the best matches in years. There is so much to see and understand for any ticket holder. You can watch the practice courts and really see and understand who's playing well and who is training intensely.

MEN

The men’s draw for 2007 featured some incredible matches, huge upsets and riveting drama.

The tournament and results showcased young talent that used the tournament to have breakout matches and emerge into the limelight. It could be said that the men’s draw was a roadmap to ATP men’s results for the entire year.

Rafael Nadal emerged unbeaten and won his first Pacific Life Open Title after exhibiting his best tennis of the year. He was flawless, with strong serving, heavy groundstrokes. He tore through the draw without losing a set. 

Andy Roddick played the toughest match against Nadal in the semis. Roddick was playing great tennis after extensive physical and mental training under the watchful eye of coach Jimmy Connors. However he was no match for Nadal who ended up winning 6-3, 6-4.

The other semi bracket was Andy Murray against 19 year old Novak Djokovic. Murray had a sensational quarters match against Tommy Hass that ended with a 8-6 3rd set tiebreaker, however Djokovic had more energy winning 6-2,6-3 and moved into the finals.  

No doubt that Pacific Life 2007 was Djokovic’s breakthrough tournament.  Djokovic became the first teenager to reach the finals since Agassi did it in 1990. He played brilliant and mature tennis the complete tournament. This tournament served as the foundation to Djokovic’s confidence who then finished 2007 as #3 in the world.

There were other notable matches that included the great Roger Federer being eliminated by lucky loser qualifier Guillermo Canas playing the best tennis of his career. Canas had an incredible win streak since coming off his drug suspension.

The stadium crowd was shocked at the loss of Federer. This was one of those rare matches where you could feel the stadium murmuring “watch Roger come back”, but the great Roger never came back and in the end Canas prevailed by playing boldly.

Another standout player, quarter finalist David Ferrer, had an excellent tournament.  He could be seen on the practice courts training for 4 hours at a time. His work ethic paid off by making it to the quarters. This tournament also set the tone for the year and he rocketed up the ranks to finish the year at 5th in the world.

Women

Daniela Hantuchova played confident tennis to win her second title in five years at the Pacific Life Open.  Her last title was an upset win over Martina Hingis and she wasted little time in the final to defeat second seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-4 in the Saturday final.

The final was marked by deep baseline rallies and some trading breaks of serves but in the end Hantuchova has fewer unforced errors which determined the outcome.  Hantuchova took away a first prize of $307,000 for the win.

Possibly the best women’s match of the tournament was the semi finals between Hantuchova and Israeli Shahar Peer.  This match captivated the crowd and with intense baseline rallies ending with powerful winners. The 3rd set tiebreaker decided the match with Hantuchova taking the victory 6-2, 5-7, 7-6(5).   Tennis is a game of inches but in the end Hantuchova edged out Peer with a bit more mental maturity and confidence on the key points.

All in all, the Pacific Life Tournament provides the greatest value and best venue of the tennis world. It’s a tournament where a tennis fanatic can come to understand the players at a much greater level.

 

 

 

 

 Venue

          

                                                                

The layout of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden (www.iwtg.net) is perfect for observing pro tennis at its best. You can stroll the 88 acres of the tennis facility and watch matches on 8 courts. The 16,000 seat stadium court is excellent for viewing matches. However, this writer, who happens to be a tennis fanatic, enjoys watching matches on the outside stadium courts and roaming amongst the constant action on these courts.
 

There are also 10 practice courts in the facility where you see the pros practice as close as 10 feet away. Fans young and old alike can get as many autographs as they can fit on the huge tennis balls that are available at the shops in the area. Any tennis fanatic can spend hours watching the pros practice and drill intensely. It’s at the practice courts where you will fall in love with this tournament.
 

For those on a budget, you can use your USTA card to buy a grounds pass for the day during the first week of the tournament. In 2008, this ticket will cost less than $30. You can spend the complete day with access to the high section of the stadium court, some outside courts and the practice courts. In recent years management has changed the seating structure and  price so be sure to review it and use your USTA discount card for a 30% discount where appropriate.
 

When it’s time to eat there is an excellent food court area with a variety of foods and snacks to choose from. There are also a variety of booths with tennis related products where you can spend some time browsing and shopping.

 

Don't miss Tennis Warehouse tent. If you have a racquet question you'll find the major racquet brand reps there eager to answer questions about their lines. The Tennis Warehouse professionals staffing the booth are some of  the most knowledgeable staff anywhere. Racquets can be purchased, strung and handed to you within the hour. 
 

The clothing selection at the tournament stores are stocked full of every tennis specific line imaginable. Plan on buying some tennis clothes at the tournament, especially if you are from an area where there is little tennis clothing selection available. FILA, which is an ATP sponsor, has a very impressive clothing store. You can find any FILA tennis related clothing you can imagine.
 

 


The perfect tennis day

If you have the passion and want to pack in the maximum amount of tennis here's a tennis oriented schedule for the day:
 

Tennis at 8 AM at the courts of your hotel facility or a local court. Courts are at a premium during this tournament so book courts at least 3 weeks before you arrive for the tournament.
 

Plan on arriving at the Tennis Garden by 11AM.
 

There will be morning matches you can view posted at the main tennis information scoreboard. If you do not find any interesting matches go to the practice courts to watch the best tennis players in the world at work with their coaches.
 

Watch matches and stroll around the tennis facility for the evening and then as the courts cool off you can head back to your resort, grab a bite to eat and prepare for more tennis the following day.
 

 


 

 

                                                                       

 

 

 

 

 Facts on Pacific Life Open

Dates: March 10-23, 2008

Ticket Office
 M-F 10AM-5PM
 Sat. 10AM to 2PM
 (760) 200-8000 or 800-999-1585
 Hotel and Ticket Packages Available

 Website: http://www.pacificlifeopen.com

 Where to Stay

          Tennis at La Quinta Resort & Club:

You will want to stay at a hotel with a tennis facility if you are a true tennis fanatic. You’ll want to try out  some of the shots you have seen the pros make while you are at the tournament. If the budget can afford it the finest tennis oriented resort is La Quinta. The hotel and accommodations are fantastic and the tennis facility is truly world class

                                    

La Quinta Resort & Club's world-class tennis club is consistently rated in the "Top 20" by Tennis Magazine. Guests can play on hard, grass, and clay surfaces. A fully stocked Pro Shop, sunken court, Olympic-sized pool and spa surround the historic Clubhouse.

THE TENNIS FACILITY:
23 Tennis Courts open daily 7am -10pm (hard), 8am-5pm(grass & clay)
18 Hard Courts (10 are lighted for night play)
3 Clay Courts (Har-Tru)
2 Grass Courts
Fully stocked Tennis & Fitness Pro Shop is open daily from 6am - 8pm • Tennis Restaurant, open for breakfast and lunch
http://www.laquintaresort.com