Star-Studded Day of Tennis & Entertainment to Kick-Off 2007 US Open

August 2007 – The USTA just announced the additions of rising musical superstar Sean Kingston, Singer/Actress Keke Palmer and former Saturday Night Live funnyman Chris Kattan to its impressive lineup of celebrity participants for the annual Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day presented by Hess on Saturday, August 25 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. Previously announced performers and participants include Kat DeLuna, 2007 MTV VMA Monster Video of the Year nominee Lil Mama, The Jonas Brothers, Tony Hawk, Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Serena Williams, Daisy Fuentes and Quddus. The full-day tennis and music festival for children and families kicks off the 2007 US Open, which runs from August 27 - September 9.

Admission is FREE for the Grounds Festival, which runs from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. The event will also feature a live tennis and music stadium show hosted by Daisy Fuentes and Quddus from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m., with performances by Sean Kingston, Kat DeLuna, Lil Mama and The Jonas Brothers. Prior to the stadium show, kids and families can experience an exciting schedule of free interactive tennis games and attractions taking place throughout the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

For the stadium show, tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster (1-866-OPEN-TIX), usopen.org and at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center box office. American Express is the official card of Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day. General admission promenade tickets cost $10 and loge tickets are $20. Admission is free for the Grounds Festival, open from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. on the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center grounds. The Arthur Ashe Kids' Day stadium show starts at 2:00 p.m. and is broadcast by CBS on Sunday, August 26, from 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Kids 12-and-under with stadium show tickets will receive a free Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day hat from the USTA and Hess on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Sean Kingston (Beluga Heights/Epic), a 17 year old native of Miami who was raised in Jamaica accomplishes the rare task of creating new genre where rap, pop, reggae, doo-wop and remarkable songwriting all combine his feel good debut album. Sean is quickly becoming a household name with his first single and the current #1 song in the country “Beautiful Girls” and his follow-up single “Me Love.” While hip hop lyrics have spaked some debate, the teen prefers to show his creativity without using profanity so that all audiences are able to enjoy his music. His debut album Sean Kingston is in stores now.

Tennis pros including Mary Joe Fernandez, Max Mirnyi, Donald Young and Ashley Harkleroad along with special guests Lil Mama, Keke Palmer, Sammie, Karmina and Brooklyn’s own The Approaching Storm Marching Band will headline the free festivities, again from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. All the hot music on the Hess “Get Pumped Up” Stage will be hosted by popular radio personality Carolina from Z100’s “Z Morning Zoo.”

The free interactive activities, offering children of all ages a chance to hit with top tennis pros and win prizes, include:

• The Hess Express Obstacle Course – Kids test agility, balance, running and tennis skills.
  
• Valspar Paint Performance Challenge – Tennis target practice. One lucky adult gets a chance to qualify to play alongside the stars in the stadium show. After completion of adult competition, target practice is open to all kids.
  
• Olympus Capture It All – A chance to show-off approach shots, volleys and overheads, featuring Ashley Harkleroad and John Isner.
  
• Barilla Challenge of Champions – Featuring Mary Joe Fernandez.
  
• Nike GO Tennis – Featuring Donald Young, Max Mirnyi, Paul Goldstein and others.
  
• IBM SpeedZone – Radar gun tests the speed of kids’ serves.
  
• "CBS 2's Eye on the Prize" – Kids can show off their athletic skills and win cool prizes. Hosted by CBS 2 Sports Anchor Ducis Rodgers.
  
• Nickelodeon’s “Lets Just Play” – Go Diego Go! and SpongeBob SquarePants appearing live.
  
• USTA Adaptive Tennis – Demonstrations and clinics conducted for children with disabilities.
  
• PTR Speed Tennis – PTR certified tennis professionals have mini-courts set up where children can hit with teaching professionals at full speed with complete strokes.
  
• USRSA Pro Racquet Round Up – Kids get a chance to see what it feels like to hit with a top touring pro’s personal racquet, such as Venus and Serena Williams.
  
• USPTA Little Tennis – USPTA certified teaching professionals host a court consisting of 30 colorful hitting stations.
  
• USTA “Beat the Pro” – Gives children an opportunity to play against some of the top professionals from across the world and get a few tips as well.
  
• Also: Meet the Polo Bears, Player Autographs, Face-Painting, Hair Braiding, Juggling & Plate Spinning Workshop, Stilt-Walkers and more.
  

Presented by Hess and produced by the USTA, Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day honors tennis legend Arthur Ashe and continues his mission of using tennis as a means to instill in kids the values of humanitarianism, leadership and academic excellence. A portion of the proceeds from Arthur Ashe Kids' Day benefits the USTA NJTL (National Junior Tennis League). Arthur Ashe, along with Charlie Pasarell, and Sheridan Snyder founded the NJTL in 1969. Ashe envisioned NJTL "as a way to gain and hold the attention of young people in the inner cities and their poor environments so that we can teach them about matters more important than tennis." Since then, NJTL has grown to over 500 chapters serving over 200,000 youth each year, making it one of the USTA's largest community-based offerings.