Reservists participate in tennis tournament

  • Published
  • By Tim Norton
  • 482nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MIAMI, Fla. --  During a beautiful sunny South Florida day, Reservists from Homestead Air Reserve Base participated in pre-match ceremonies prior to the women's final of the Sony Ericsson Open Tennis Tournament, April 3.

Before a capacity crowd of 14,000 and a national television audience in the millions, Brig. Gen. William Binger, 482nd Fighter Wing commander, conducted the coin toss with players Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters. Uniquely, General Binger was allowed to use a 482nd FW coin during the ceremony.

Homestead ARB honor guard members presented the colors, providing a patriotic back-drop during the singing of the national anthem by Nichole Henry, immediately followed by a stunning fly-over of four F-16s from the 93rd Fighter Squadron "Makos".

"On a scale from 1 to 10, Saturday's flyover was a perfect 10," said Javier Velarde, event executive producer. "Everyone in the stadium, the tournament and the title sponsor, were in awe of that climax which was the best in the tournament's 26 years."

As the fifth largest tennis tournament in the world, the Sony Ericsson Open showcases the top worlds men's and women's professional tennis players within the beautiful grounds of the Tennis Center at Crandon Park.

"It really was an all Air Force day with General Binger, the color guard and your jets," Velarde said.

The match ended with Kim Clijsters defeating Venus Williams 6-2, 6-1 to win her second Sony Ericsson Open title.