|
EVERT AND LEAD SINGER OF THE ROCK BAND BUSH WIN KEY MATCH
AT CHRIS EVERT |
 Chrissie is
very pleased with her victory over world #1 Davenport! |
DELRAY BEACH, FLA. (Dec, 5, 2004) --- Chris Evert capped off a
record-breaking weekend at the Chris Evert/Bank
of America Pro-Celebrity
Tennis Classic by pairing with former President George H. W.
Bush to defeat
Lindsay Davenport, the world's top-ranked women's professional tennis
player, and actor Chevy Chase, 8-5, in action Sunday at the Delray Beach
Tennis Center.
But the real highlight of the weekend was the record $1.2 million raised
during the two-day event to benefit South Florida charities. Now in
its
15th year, the Chris Evert/Bank of America Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic has
raised more than $13 million for a variety of Florida charities.
"I am so grateful that year after the year, the people of South Florida
open
their hearts and their pocketbooks to support our efforts," Evert said
following the matches. "This year's event was one of my personal favorites
- especially with the return of President Bush and Matthew Perry and the
addition of the No. 1 player in the world, Lindsay Davenport. Then, to cap
top it off with a record-setting fundraising effort, was truly special."
Behind some impressive net play from President Bush, Evert cruised to a
victory in her first appearance of the day at the annual event. Evert
then
teamed with Gavin Rossdale, lead singer of the rock band Bush, to defeat
Davenport and television and film star Matthew Perry in the final match of
the day, 6-5 (5-3).
In other matches, actor Scott Foley stayed undefeated this weekend, pairing
with WTA Tour player Corina Morariu to defeat supermodel Frederique and
Murphy Jensen, 6-3. In a battle of tennis stars, Nicole Vaidisova and Luke
Jensen teamed up to oust Lisa Raymond and Murphy Jensen, 6-5 (5-4).
Evert and the celebrity participants, along with more than 650 supporters,
enjoyed a concert from Sheena Easton on Saturday night at the Health
Foundation of South Florida Black-Tie Gala at the Boca Raton Resort & Club
in Boca Raton, Fla. Prior to the concert, more than $300,000 of the weekend
total was raised through a silent and live auction. Included among the hot
items at the Saturday evening auction were two dinners with Evert and her
husband, Andy Mill, which raised a total of $80,000 and an after-hours
private tour of the White House that brought in an additional $30,000.
Highlights from the Chris Evert/Bank of America Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic
will be featured on an upcoming ESPN 2 telecast, planned to air in early
2005.
The Chris Evert/Bank of America Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic, which is held
in association with the Chris Evert Children's Hospital at Broward General,
has become one of the most popular and successful charity fund-raising
events in Florida. Chris Evert Charities partners with the Ounce of
Prevention Fund of Florida, a public-private partnership in conjunction with
the State of Florida to raise money for programs for at-risk children.
The lineup for the 15th annual charity event included celebrities and sports stars such as Matthew Perry, Former President George H.W. Bush, Lindsay Davenport, Chevy Chase, Frederique, Dan Brown, Scott Foley, Helio Castroneves, Gavin Rossdale, Maeve Quinlan, Apprentice (1st season) contestant Sam Solovey and tennis standouts Lisa Raymond, Tommy Haas, Nicole Vaidisova, Xavier Malisse, Mary Joe Fernandez, Justin Gimelstob, Corina Morariu, Murphy Jensen and Luke Jensen.
Chris Evert Charities partners with the Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida to raise money for needy programs which otherwise would not be fully funded by the State. The Ounce of Prevention Fund matches moneys raised through the Chris Evert/Bank of America Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic.