London, 24th June 2015: Last night VIPs were welcomed to The Hurlingham Club for the launch of the BNP Paribas Tennis Classic 2015. Guests including Emilia Fox, Jodie Kidd, Kara Tointon, Lilah Parsons, Camilla Kerslake, Zoe Hardman, Tara Palmer-Tompkinson, Henry Conway, Percy Parkerand Alistair Guy attended the event, which combines world-class tennis with first-class hospitality.
During the event, guests dined in the gardens while sipping Champagne Lanson and were treated to a spot of magic from world-renowned magician DMC who entertained the audience with his astounding card tricks. Guests then enjoyed two matches of tennis on centre court. First to play were ATP’s rising stars Borna Ćorić and Grigor Dimitrov, with Dimitrov beating Ćorić 6-2, 6-1, followed by a doubles match between tennis legends Mansour Bahrami/Goran Ivanisevic andXavier Malisse/Mikael Pernfors.
This year’s impressive line-up for the tournament includes World No.5 Kei Nishikori, World No.6Tomáš Berdych, World No.9 and current US Open Champion Marin Cilic and World No.11 Grigor Dimitrov, former French No.1 and World No.18 Gaël Monfils, World No.20 Richard Gasquet and rising star Borna Ćorić.
Joining the ATP players are a number of world-class tennis legends. The line-up includes former British No.1 Tim Henman, former British No.1 and US Open Finalist Greg Rusedski, former Canadian Open Champion Mikael Pernfors, 2001 Wimbledon Champion Goran Ivanisevic, former Wimbledon semi-finalist, Xavier Malisse and Australian Open finalist Thomas Enqvist and crowd pleaser Mansour Bahrami.
Owned and managed by IMG, the global leader in sports, fashion and media, the BNP Paribas Tennis Classic takes place at the height of the summer tennis season and is one of the most intimate tennis events in the social calendar. Set in the tranquil 42-acre grounds of The Hurlingham Club, the event showcases some of the current stars of today, playing in a series of singles exhibition matches as they finalise their preparations ahead of Wimbledon, as well as a number of tennis legends. Previous players include Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal as well as legends Tim Henman, Mark Philippoussis and Pat Cash.
The tournament brings together a combination of timeless elegance and quintessentially English traditions, giving spectators the opportunity to combine unforgettable tennis with first-rate hospitality experiences whilst escaping the crowds in one of London’s most intimate and breath-taking settings.