INDIAN WELLS, California (February 5, 2001) - The stars of women's professional tennis and the entertainment world will share the spotlight on Sunday, March 11 at tennis' biggest awards event, the Sanex WTA Tour Awards Show, at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort in Indian Wells it was announced today. Special VIP Passes to the charity event go on sale today to the general public on a first-come, first serve basis.

The official annual awards show of the international women's professional tennis tour - the circuit that features such worldwide celebrities as world #1 Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Venus & Serena Williams, Monica Seles, Anna Kournikova and 2001 Australian Open champion Jennifer Capriati - will be hosted by comedian-actor-director Bob Saget and feature a concert by recording artist Vonda Shepard of "Ally McBeal" fame. Surprise celebrity award presenters will also participate.

The show honors the accomplishments of the players during the Sanex WTA Tour's 2000 season. The highlight of the evening will be the awarding of the 2000 Doubles Team and Player of the Year Awards as voted on by members of the international tennis media. Other categories include Most Impressive Newcomer, Comeback Player, Tournament of the Year and Media Representative of the Year. A total of 13 awards will be given.

A portion of the gala's proceeds will benefit the National Junior Tennis League of Coachella Valley, a grass-roots program that teaches and promotes the importance of physical fitness, sportsmanship and social development. The chapter is also supported by Tennis Masters Series Indian Wells presented by Newsweek to be played March 5-18. There will be no tournament matches played during the evening of the Sanex WTA Tour Awards Show.

A catered VIP reception will kick off the evening at 5:00 p.m. on the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort's Rose Lawn, with the awards show to follow starting at 6:30 p.m. in the adjacent Pavilion.

Immediately following the presentation of Player of the Year, the final award of the evening, a concert will be performed by Shepard, the voice behind the hit song "Searchin' My Soul" and the artist who appears and performs on the Emmy Award-winning Fox television series "Ally McBeal."

VIP Passes that allow access to all the evening's activities - at $150 each for unreserved seating and $200 each for reserved player-section seating - are now on sale to the general public toll-free through 1-866-7-TENNIS.

"We're very excited about this year's Awards Show as we think it will be entertaining for players and fans alike," said Sanex WTA Tour Chief Operating Officer Elizabeth Garger, "We are inviting our fans to cheer on their favorite players at our awards event, and with the addition of a well-known celebrity host and musical entertainment it should be a fun and memorable evening for everyone."

The show is being produced by Quintus, Inc., a sports and entertainment production and marketing company with more than a dozen offices worldwide. Serving as executive producers are Kevin O'Keefe, Quintus' new Managing Director, West Coast, and Ray Reo, former long-time talent manager post at Brillstein-Grey Entertainment in Los Angeles.

The Sanex WTA Tour is the world's premier professional sport for women with more than 1,000 players representing 76 nations competing for more than $50 million in prize money at 65 events in 33 countries worldwide in 2001. The Tour's season concludes with the Tour Championships of the Sanex WTA Tour at the Olympia Halle in Munich Germany October 30-November 4, 2001.

Sanex WTA Tour events are viewed across the globe, reaching hundreds of millions of households, and are immensely popular in person, attracting more than four million spectators in 2000. Further information on the Tour can be found on the Internet at www.sanexwta.com.