Samprasfanz

Source: The Journal News

May 12, 2007 – Tennis great Pete Sampras will be playing an exhibition match in Rockland County this July – and it will be free to the public.

Sampras will appear as part of the Kennedy Funding Invitational, a tennis tournament held July 11-15 at Dellwood Country Club in New City. The event will award over $250,000 in prize money and is expected to raise over $400,000 for the breast care centers at Nyack Hospital and Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.

Last year’s tournament, the first in the Lower Hudson Valley to attract top-100 players, was won by American Paul Goldstein. He will be joined in this year’s men’s field by New Jersey native Justin Gimelstob and Americans Robby Ginepri, Robert Kendrick and Amer Delic.

This year, there also will be an eight-person women’s tournament, featuring top Americans Meghann Shaughnessy and Ashley Harkleroad.

Sampras, who won a record 14 Grand Slams before officially retiring in August 2003, is scheduled to play Sunday, July 15 at 4 p.m. against an opponent to be determined.

The Kennedy Funding Invitational was started last summer in honor of Leslie Simon, who lost her battle with breast cancer earlier in the year. Admission is free for the entire week, and all proceeds will go to Englewood and Nyack hospitals.

Source: The Journal News