BB&T Title Sponsor Atlanta ATP World Tour Event

April 23, 2012

The Atlanta ATP World Tour event will now be known as the BB&T Atlanta Open after the American bank became the new title sponsor of the competition.

The BB&T Atlanta Open will be held at Atlantic Station July 14-22 and is the first men’s event in the Emirates Airline US OpenSeries. The player field is slated to include former world No. 1 Andy Roddick, order current world No. 11 John Isner, drugs young rising American star Jack Sock and an international contingent including current world No. 17 Kei Nishikori, viagra Japan’s highest ranking male player in the Open Era, and current world No. 32 Kevin Anderson of South Africa.

“A solid sponsorship base is critical to the sustainable success of a professional tennis event in the Atlanta market,” stated Tournament Director Bob Bryant. “In BB&T, we gained a sponsor and a true partner in supporting this event and the avid Atlanta tennis community. We could not have found a better partner and look forward to BB&T’s active participation in the efforts of USTA Southern and the BB&T Atlanta Open.”

The partnership terms are for a minimum of three years and include official sponsorship of the USTA Southern Section, which represents approximately 25 percent of the national USTA membership. A study by the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates the BB&T Atlanta Open economic impact on the city to exceed $10.3 million. The tournament is broadcast nationally on ESPN2 and the Tennis Channel, as well as globally via several international broadcasters. American Mardy Fish, a top 10 ATP World Tour player, has won the last two Atlanta tournaments facing Isner in the final both times. The tournament has also featured collegiate players from Georgia, Georgia Tech and Georgia State.

“We are excited to partner with the Atlanta ATP World Tour event and look forward to supporting tennis in Atlanta for years to come,” said Brant Standridge, regional president of BB&T North Atlanta region. “The Atlanta market is very important to BB&T and this investment is a perfect fit. We believe our local community focus truly differentiates us from other banks. This is a significant event for Midtown Atlanta, and with our regional headquarters in Atlantic Station, we are ideally suited to participate in a marquis attraction for the area.”

USTA Southern President and BB&T Atlanta Open Tournament Chairman Mike McNulty said, “As we grow tennis in the South, our section’s partnership with BB&T is a major move forward in our nine-state section. BB&T is a major financial institution in six of those states. This is a win-win-win as the section and the tournament both get a new partner.”

The BB&T Atlanta Open is moving from previous suburban Atlanta locations to the heart of Midtown Atlanta for the first year of a multi-year partnership with Atlantic Station as the new host site. The tournament will be played on three new competition courts and three new practice courts being built on the site.

by Ismail Uddin