Kournikova Opens A Two-Arena Deal Friday Against Capriati

The Ice Palace, which opened in October '96, will host its first tennis match this Friday night when Anna Kournikova and Jennifer Capriati play a best-of-three-sets exhibition, according to Gary Haber of the TAMPA TRIBUNE. On Saturday night, Kournikova will play Amanda Coetzer at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The matches are part of a deal Palace Sports & Entertainment (PSE) signed with Kournikova. But Haber noted that it took PSE Senior VP Stu Mayer and Octagon, which reps Kournikova, "two years of negotiations to make the deal happen." To "defray the cost of the event," Ice Palace officials "lined up Ferman Chrysler Jeep as the primary sponsor, and other companies, including Champs Sports and Hormel, as additional backers." Ice Palace officials "would not specify how much it will cost to stage the match or how much each sponsor is paying." Haber reported that the Ice Palace "will close off the upper tier of seats, reducing capacity from 19,758 to about 10,300." About 3,500 seats have been sold (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 12/11).