World No. 8 and defending champion Samantha Stosur has officially entered the 2011 Family Circle Cup. Stosur, the first player to commit to the tournament, returns to Daniel Island where she set the event’s mark for the fastest championship victory on record by defeating Vera Zvonareva 6-0, 6-3, in just 52 minutes. Marking the tournament’s 39th consecutive year, the Family Circle Cup, a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Premier event, will be held April 2-10, 2011 at the Family Circle Tennis Center in historic Charleston, South Carolina.

Samantha Stosur, the 20th champion in the Family Circle Cup’s storied history, said, “I’ve always enjoyed competing in Charleston, and I really look forward to defending my title at this historic event. The city is beautiful and the fans are very knowledgeable, so it’s always exciting to play this tournament.”  She added “Winning the Family Circle Cup has certainly been an important highlight of my career”.

As one of the Official Photographers of the Family Circle Cup, I’m always honored when one of my images is selected for the Stadium Banner!!!  This shot was taken on a rooftop overlooking the Charleston city skyline during a private photography session Samantha granted us after winning the title.  I used a Nikon D3 with 70-200VRI.  Since she was back-lit by the sun, I used an SB-800 off to my left to light her and placed a second one behind her to add a little bling to the trophy.  Flashes were triggered via RadioPoppers and a camera-mounted SB-900 in commander mode.