BNP Paribas Open "Hit For Haiti" Exhibition To Be Presented By Oracle

© BNP Paribas Open

Oracle Sets Fundraising Goal at $1 Million; Stefanie Graf, Martina Navratilova, Justine Henin and Lindsay Davenport Join Event 

The BNP Paribas Open “Hit For Haiti” exhibition, on the evening of Friday, March 12, will be presented by Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL), and has added a second match to the evening’s event that will feature four legendary female players, it was announced today by Steve Simon, tournament director.

Oracle will lead a comprehensive fundraising effort which will include on-site, text messaging and private donations targeted to reach $1 Million.  Funds will benefit the American Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development fund, which was established to help those impacted by the recent earthquakes in Haiti.

A women’s match featuring an astounding 50 Grand Slam titles on the same court will include Stefanie Graf and Lindsay Davenport taking on Martina Navratilova and Justine Henin. They will be the first match that evening, which will be followed by the match comprised of 44 Grand Slam title holders, Roger Federer and Pete Sampras playing Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi.

“Oracle is proud to participate in fundraising efforts to benefit the relief efforts in Haiti,” said Oracle CEO Larry Ellison.  “It is impressive to see this remarkable line up of athletes work together to raise much-needed funds for Haiti.  Our hope is to hold an event that supports relief efforts and continues to raise the visibility for how Haiti needs the world’s help.”

The event will be broadcast live in numerous countries around the world, and domestically on the Tennis Channel, beginning at 7:30 PM PST. In addition, live web streaming will be available on bnpparibasopen.org, TennisTV.com, atpworldtour.com, sonyericssonwtatour.com, usta.com, tennis.com, espn360.com, and others. As a show of support, the broadcasters, satellite uplink providers and production teams of the event are picking up all of the production costs to ensure that the maximum amount of money can be generated for the fundraising effort.

The evening will begin at 7:00 p.m. with the annual Salute to Heroes ceremony, where the tournament will recognize veterans, military personnel, police, firemen and women, and Red Cross volunteers on Stadium Court for their efforts in the community and around the world. The ceremony and tennis exhibition will be followed by one main draw match.

For more information about the BNP Paribas Open, or to purchase tickets and travel packages, visit the tickets page, call 800-999-1585 or 760-200-8000, or visit the box office, 78-200 Miles Avenue, Indian Wells, CA, 92210.