Fun Friday at the Family Circle Cup

WOW!  I wasn’t sure we could top Thursday’s action.  But Friday really was AMAZING!  In spite of a vip sponsor assignment downtown and a few off-court shoots, I got to see a lot of great tennis today.  By the excitement of the fans, I think they’d probably agree!  Here are a few picks from the today’s shooting.  As always, head over to www.chrisandcami.com/blog, www.familycirclecup, and www.wtatour.com.  Plus a few players like Vera Zvonareva are using some of my shots from the Player Party on their Facebook pages if you happen to be a “fan” of theirs.  J  Fun… 

Family Circle Cup Action

Day two of the Family Circle Cup brought a ton of action.  Here’s a variety from throughout the day.  Head over to www.familycirclecup.com and www.wtatour.com to see even more.  Enjoy!  🙂

Let the Tournament Begin

Day one at the Family Circle Cup has come and gone!  With lots of off-court player appearances by the top 8 seeds, I didn’t see a ton of action.  But here are a few shots from all over campus and throughout the first day…

The Family Circle Cup Begins

By Sunday most of the players competing in the Family Circle Cup had swooped into Charleston.  Saturday and Sunday had seen plenty of great tennis in the pre-tournament qualifying rounds.  But the MAIN event kicks off on Monday.  In celebrating all these elite women’s tennis players, the tournament puts on a great Player Party.  Held at Sacs Fifth Avenue downtown, it’s a chance for players, coaches, sponsors, and other VIP guests to just hang out, have dinner, and enjoy a good time!  Being an exclusive tournament event, it’s nice to be the ONLY media photographer there.  I don’t have to jostle for a position or vie for a player’s attention.  Plus everyone is relaxed, quick to smile, and primed for photo ops.  J  Here are a few from the party…

Published in Tennis Magazine

Most folks know I’m one of the Official Photographers of the Family Circle Cup.  I’m also an avid tennis player with a USTA 4.5 ranking.  So naturally I subscribe to Tennis Magazine.  Last night I was about half-way through the new April issue…turn the page…and staring at me as a full-page add is one of my favorite shots of Caroline Wozniacki from last year’s cup!!!  With this year’s tournament only a few weeks away, excitement is building.  I think we’re going to have a FANTASTIC event this year!

As last year’s runner up puts it:  “The 2010 Family Circle Cup is my time to shine.  I came close to the title last year and now I’ve got my eye on the prize.”

NEW Family Circle Cup Banner Announced

Only two more months until the Family Circle Cup!  As most of you know, I’ve been one of the Official Photographers of this amazing Professional Women’s Tennis event for many years now.  Each year, the best photo of the returning champion is selected for display on a 47-foot x 40-foot banner that hangs from the top of the stadium.  It’s been an honor to have had one of my images selected for the last few years in a row.  And this year…drum roll please…WE DID IT AGAIN!!!!  🙂   Mike Saia, the Communications Director at the FCC just emailed me a few minutes ago with the news and the final image they’ll be using.  I’m SO EXCITED!!!

On top of all the great women’s tennis action, this is also the Ten Year Anniversary of the FCC being located here in Charleston.  One of the longest running tournaments in WTA history, its former home was on Hilton Head Island.  To celebrate the milestone year, there will be guest apprearances from the likes of John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, and Anna Kournikova, plus many other special events and attractions.  So come on out…and make sure you say “Hi” to me while you’re there…04 Sabine Lisicki (Final)A

Melanie Oudin

The young, talented, and fearless Melanie Oudin from Marietta, GA, will be playing today as she advances to the second week of the US Open. Earlier this year at the Family Circle Cup I had a quick private photo shoot with the 17 year old tennis sensation. She is as sweet off the court as she is feisty on the court. Catch the action on ESPN and cheer her on!!!

A New Champion is Crowned

It’s been a GREAT week covering the Family Circle Cup again this year! It’s always the most exhausting week in my calendar as I’m constantly pushing full-speed ahead, 9-days strait, often 9am through midnight, no breaks, in multiple locations all over the city.

As the Official Photographer, I’m not only required to cover the action…but also the fans, activities around campus, images for sponsors, behind the scenes appearances by players, and VIP events all week…resulting in somewhere around 20,000 images! It’s a HUGE task. But I enjoy the opportunity to test myself, stretch my versatility, and come up with creative images under pressure.

I have to say this year has been one of my favorites as I like to think I found a rising star. When I photographed a portrait of Sabine after her second round match, I felt like this could be her year to break through. After her defeat of Venus, I knew she had the game. And by the time she beat Marion, I realized she had the maturity to go all the way. Here’s my portrait of the NEW Family Circle Cup Champion. Take a good look at that smile…I believe you’ll be seeing a LOT more of it as Sabine continues her rise to the top!

For more photos, visit the galleries at the Family Circle Cup and the Sony Ericson WTA Tour website. I’m thrilled to say my images made the front page of the WTA Tour every day this week…a first for me!

Family Circle Cup Finals

Nadia Petrova & Bethanie Matteck-Sands came from 3 match points down to win the doubles!
Their third time playing together, Patty Schnyder & Liga Dekmeijere had a good time during their doubles final even though they came up short of the trophy.

19 Year Old Sabine Lisicki brought her A-Game to the finals.
Caroline Wozniacki fought hard but couldn’t find an answer, letting her coach know her frustration.

Sabine Lisicki is overcome with emotion and tears of joy well up as she realizes she’s won her first WTA Tour Championship. At #63 in the world, Sabine is the lowest-ranked Champion in Family Circle Cup history, overcoming huge odds defeating Venus Williams, Marion Bartoli, and Caroline Wozniacki to do so.
A fitting end to Sabine’s tournament run, in the arms of her Dad and coach, whom she thanked during the trophy presentation for all his love and support over the years, through the good times and the bad.

Family Circle Cup Day 6

Sabine Lisicki simply over powered the more experienced Marion Bartoli.
Marion Bartoli lost her quarterfinal to the young German who beat Venus earlier this week.

Caroline Wozniacki gets last-minute instructions in the tunnel from Tour Supervisor, Pam Whytcross, while Elena Dementieva stretches in the background.


Caroline Wozniacki’s tumble during her quarterfinal against Elena Dementieva didn’t slow her down a bit.

Elena Dementieva just couldn’t find a rythme against the 18-year old Caroline Wozniacki.

On The Bench

Between sets us photographers have to entertain ourselves. Here’s a fun one of me with Leslie Billman, shooting for Wire Image, and Alice Keeney, shooting for the Associated Press. Leslie is a pretty good player herself. She and I paired up to win the annual Family Circle Cup Media Tournament two years ago, a friendly competition between all the writers, photographers, TV crews, and other media personnel. Alice must have been having a bad hair day…trying to hide behind that hood and her cell phone. 😉

Family Circle Cup Day 5

Elena Dementieva is looking un-stoppable this year.
Virginie Razzano played well but couldn’t handle the power of Caroline Wozniacki.

Caroline Wozniacki in front of the scoreboard…I love how the background compliments her outfit.

Sabine Lisicki..now how can you not root for someone with such an adorable smile?

For about ten minutes this AMAZING two-inch wide shaft of light from the setting sun streamed through a crevice in the stadium bleachers and gave Marion Bartolli this beautiful golden glow.