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You are here: Home News Bytes Agassi, Graf, Blake and Kournikova coming to DC for Elton John and Billie Jean King's charity event

Agassi, Graf, Blake and Kournikova coming to DC for Elton John and Billie Jean King's charity event

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Longtime friends Sir Elton John and Billie Jean King are bringing their annual WTT Smash Hits charity night of tennis to the nation's capital for the first time in the event's 18-year history. Tennis greats Andre Agassi, Stefanie Graf, Anna Kournikova and James Blake will join other top players for WTT Smash Hits presented by GEICO on Monday, Nov. 15, at Bender Arena on the campus of American University in Washington, D.C. Tickets for the one-night event go on sale on Tuesday, September 7, at 10 a.m. Eastern.

Smash Hits has raised more than $9.6 million for the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) and various local AIDS charities since 1993. This year's event will benefit EJAF and the Washington AIDS Partnership. The funds raised at the pre-match Smash Hits VIP Reception and Auction will be specifically targeted for local programs. The District of Columbia now suffers the highest rate of new AIDS cases in the United States and an HIV infection rate 12 times the national average.

Captained by King and John, the players will form two teams and play five sets of World TeamTennis (WTT). The music legend will also participate in a celebrity doubles match to open the event. Additional participants will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

"We are so thrilled to bring Smash Hits to our nation's capital this year," said WTT co-founder Billie Jean King. "This is the perfect venue for us to raise the awareness of HIV and AIDS and we are excited to build upon the growing support in the community for WTT." Washington D.C. is also home to the Washington Kastles, one of the 10 teams in the WTT Pro League presented by GEICO.