Contacts:

For Immediate Release

MARTINA HINGIS JOINS ALL-STAR LINE UP FOR SHRIVER’S CHARITY TENNIS CHALLENGE;
TEAMS WITH McENROE, COURIER AND NAVRATILOVA FOR
20th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Baltimore, September 22 – Tournament Chairman and Founder, Pam Shriver announced that former No. 1 ranked tennis diva, Martina Hingis, will join a legendary cast of Tennis Hall of Famers—John McEnroe, Jim Courier and Martina Navratilova—to headline the 20th Anniversary of the Mercantile Tennis Challenge presented by The Baltimore Sun at 1st Mariner Arena on November 14, 2005. The Tennis Challenge format will include a feature women’s singles match between Hingis and Navratilova and a feature men’s singles match between McEnroe and Courier. Each of the stars also will be competing in the Northrop Grumman Legends mixed doubles match and the Orioles Challenge match showcasing hometown sports heroes from the Orioles and Ravens playing with and against the tennis professionals as the evening’s grand finale.

With the addition of Hingis, this renowned group of tennis superstars has collected over 90 Grand Slam titles between them, including 31 Wimbledon, 25 US Open, 16 French and 21 Australian Open titles. They also have combined for more than 600 career titles and have spent more than 1,200 weeks ranked No. 1 in the world.

Hingis, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion who was ranked No. 1 in the world for over 200 weeks, returned to competitive tennis this year competing for the World TeamTennis NY Sportimes’ after retiring in 2002. She was selected the most valuable player of World TeamTennis' championship weekend, accounting for 15 of the Sportimes' 21 points in the finals. This will be Hingis’ first Tennis Challenge appearance in Baltimore.

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The 2005 Charity Tennis Challenge, the area’s premier charitable sporting event will celebrate its 20th Anniversary in Baltimore thanks to the support of Mercantile Bankshares Corporation, The Baltimore Sun, Northrop Grumman, the Baltimore Orioles and many other loyal sponsors and contributors. The event has attracted more than 100,000 spectators and raised nearly $4 million dollars for children’s charities during its history.

Mercantile Bankshares Corporation, with more than $16 billion in assets, is a regional multibank holding company with headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland. Its member banks serve communities in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, the Delmarva Peninsula and southern Pennsylvania from a network of more than 235 offices and 250 ATMs. The Investment & Wealth Management division has assets in excess of $48 billion, with management responsibility for more than $21 billion. Additional information is available at www.mercantile.com.

Proceeds from the Mercantile Tennis Challenge are distributed to children’s charities through the Baltimore Community Foundation (BCF.) The Mercantile Tennis Challenge Fund is one of more than 400 different charitable funds administered by BCF, which raises, manages, and distributes funds for charitable purposes in the Greater Baltimore region. Since the event’s inception in 1986, over $3.7 million has been distributed through the Tennis Challenge Fund at BCF to child-related causes. The Tennis Challenge hopes to break the $4 million threshold to mark the 20th Anniversary.

Tickets for the 2005 Mercantile Tennis Challenge presented by The Baltimore Sun are now on-sale and range in price from $20-$100. Tickets can be purchased at the 1st Mariner Arena Box Office, at 410/347-2010 and all TICKETMASTER locations. To charge by phone, call 410/547-SEAT. Additional ticket and sponsorship information can be obtained by calling the Tournament Office at 410/296-2929 or via www.tennischallenge.org.

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