For Immediate Release

Contacts:

Edie Brown
Media Contact (410) 627-9600
Heather Shaffer/Courtney Butler
1st Mariner Arena (410) 347-2090
Gengy Vaikness/Marc Kantrowitz
Charity Tennis Challenge (410) 296-2929

DAVENPORT vs. SHARAPOVA;
3-TIME GRAND SLAM CHAMPION LINDSAY DAVENPORT TO PLAY
IN SHRIVER’s 19TH ANNUAL CHARITY TENNIS CHALLENGE

Baltimore, September 29 – Tournament Chairman and Founder, Pam Shriver announced that current No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam Champion, Lindsay Davenport, will join the cast of tennis stars at the 2004 Mercantile Tennis Challenge presented by The Baltimore Sun. Davenport, currently the No.1 ranked in the world, will go head-to-head against 2004 Wimbledon Champion, Maria Sharapova, in the Tennis Challenge Feature Singles Match on Friday evening, December 17, 2004 at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. This is the first time the two will meet since Sharapova’s victory over Davenport in an epic semifinal duel at the 2004 Wimbledon Championships, where Sharapova prevailed in three sets (2-6,7-6 (5),6-1) on her way to winning her first Grand Slam title.

“I am thrilled that Lindsay will be able to add the Tennis Challenge to her 2004 playing schedule,” Shriver said. “She has had such an incredible year and we are looking forward to having her showcase her remarkable tennis talents again right here in Baltimore. One thing is for sure, with Davenport and Sharapova on board, we have all the ingredients for an awesome and spectacular night of top-notch tennis,” Shriver added.

The 29-year-old Davenport, a native Californian, is one of the hottest players on tour. Since an upset loss in the semifinals to Sharapova at Wimbledon this year, she has put together an incredible string of victories that included titles at Stanford, Los Angeles, San Diego and Cincinnati. Riding an 18-match winning streak entering the US Open, she ran off another five matches before losing an epic semifinal battle to eventual Champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova, after wearing down and succumbing to a hip injury suffered a few hours before the match.

Lindsay has amassed 43 career WTA Tour singles titles, including three Grand Slam victories (1998 U.S. Open, 1999 Wimbledon and 2000 Australian Open) and 35 career doubles titles. She has the unique distinction of being one of only a handful of players to reach No. 1 in both the singles and doubles world rankings and also has finished the year ranked in the Top 20 in singles for 12 straight years. This year, she also became the tenth player in the Open Era to win 40 or more titles and the fourth player to surpass the $17 million mark in prize money earned.

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The 17-year-old Sharapova shocked the tennis world by defeating reigning Champion Serena Williams at this year’s Wimbledon Championships to capture the singles crown, the first Grand Slam of her young career. Currently ranked No. 7 in the world on the WTA Tour, her meteoric rise to the world’s elite players began with a big splash at the 2003 Wimbledon Championships, where she reached the fourth round in her first main draw singles appearance. She improved 154 spots in the WTA Tour rankings, finishing the year at No. 32 with singles titles at Japan and Quebec City. In 2004, her success has continued, sweeping the singles and double titles in Birmingham before her dramatic run to the title at Wimbledon.

The Mercantile Tennis Challenge presented by the Baltimore Sun is played to benefit the Baltimore Community Foundation (BCF), a publicly endowed nonprofit organization that donates proceeds to area children’s charities. Since the event’s inception in 1986, over $3.4 million has been distributed through the BCF Tennis Challenge Fund to child-related causes.

Mercantile Bankshares Corporation, with $14.1 billion in assets, is a regional multibank holding company with headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland. It is comprised of Mercantile Bank & Trust, 12 community banks and a mortgage banking company. Its 13 banks serve communities in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, the Delmarva Peninsula and southern Pennsylvania. The largest bank, Mercantile Bank & Trust, represents approximately one-third of total assets and operates 26 offices in Maryland and one commercial office in southern Pennsylvania. The largest bank also provides investment and wealth management services, with $46.2 billion in assets under administration, of which $21.4 billion are discretionary assets under management.

Tickets for the 2004 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 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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