A Winter Wimbledon

The Crandon Park Tennis Center is actually the third home of the Sony Ericsson Open. When former pro-tennis-player-turned-promoter Butch Buchholz first organized the event, he held it in Delray Beach and Boca Raton. He brought in Alan Mills, then tournament referee at Wimbledon, as head referee, and Ted Tinling, a...

By RICHARD BIEBRICH

March 11, 2010

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The Crandon Park Tennis Center is actually the third home of the Sony Ericsson Open. When former pro-tennis-player-turned-promoter Butch Buchholz first organized the event, he held it in Delray Beach and Boca Raton. He brought in Alan Mills, then tournament referee at Wimbledon, as head referee, and Ted Tinling, a top tennis fashion designer of the 1920s, as director of protocol. What would the late Mr. Tinling think of Serena Williams's recent court couture?

Considered the "fifth Grand Slam" because of its size (96 men and 96 women in the singles draw and 32 doubles teams), the Sony Ericsson has always attracted top players. Fuzzy balls begin bouncing Monday, but the tournament gets going Wednesday. The championships are scheduled for April 3 (noon, women's final) and April 4 (12:30 p.m., men's final).
March 24-April 4, 2010

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