Fund raising, food, tickets, parking all part of the game

Published: Monday, July 21, 1997

Monday, 7/21/97 Fund raising, food, tickets, parking all part of the game

By Steve Kim Daily Bruin Contributor Greetings, tennis fans. Welcome to UCLA, home of the Infiniti Open. You are one of 80,000 spectators who will gather to witness some of the top men in tennis at work on the Los Angeles Tennis Center (LATC) courts this week. The Infiniti Open is the only major men's tennis tournament in Los Angeles. Some of the proceeds will go to the Southern California Tennis Association's junior development programs, a 71-year tennis tournament tradition. An Evening at the Net, a charitable event, will be held July 21 at 7:30 p.m. John Lovitz, Andre Agassi, Fran Drescher and host Steve Guttenberg are expected to attend and play tennis to raise funds for the National Junior Tennis League and the Safe Passage Tennis Program. If you haven't bought the all-sessions box or series seat ticket packages, loge seats are available from $16 to $36 per match - they get more expensive as the tournament reaches the finals. Children under 16 are admitted for half-price for game sessions 1 through 8, if they arrive at the box office 1 1/2 hours before the game. Also, watch for Racquet Days, when old tennis racquets can be traded in for tickets to matches. UCLA charges $5 per day to park. Parking structures 6 and 8 are the closest to the tennis center. If you drive an Infiniti to the finals, you can enjoy free parking. After all, it is the "Infiniti" Open. Food and refreshments are plentiful at many nearby locations, including the stadium concessions venue, the UCLA campus and Westwood Village. Between events, you can tour the beautiful campus. Visit the newly renovated student store. If you've been there and done that, visit Westwood Village. There are eateries, shops and those popular uniplexes, the sites of famous movie premiers. This week, however, I have a feeling that most eyes are going to be focused on the court rather than an the theater screen. "Quiet, please," and enjoy the game!