Aug 14, 2019

Honda Aircraft Named Sponsor of Women's Exhibition Match featuring Ashleigh Barty vs. Coco Gauff

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AUGUST 14, 2019) - Honda Aircraft, which has a significant workforce presence at the Piedmont Triad International Airport, has been named the presenting sponsor of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) exhibition match that the Winston-Salem Open is hosting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, August 21. The match will feature No. 1 ranked Ashleigh Barty and 15-year-old Wimbledon sensation Cori "Coco" Gauff.

"Honda Aircraft Company is proud to be the presenting sponsor of the Winston-Salem Open's Women's Tennis Association exhibition match," said Honda Aircraft Company president and CEO Michimasa Fujino. "The WTA was founded on the principle of creating equal opportunity for women in sports and we are thrilled to support an organization with goals similar to ours. Honda Aircraft is focused on increasing the number of women in aviation and is committed to encouraging more women to choose science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)."

"All of us at the Winston-Salem Open are thrilled that a global company headquartered in our region stepped up to sponsor what promises to be one of the highlights of this year's tournament," Winston-Salem Open Tournament Director Bill Oakes said. "We greatly thank Honda Aircraft for being a supporter of our special exhibition match. The company's support will enhance our ability to have an incredible evening of tennis for fans to enjoy on August 21.

"Honda Aircraft is dedicated to raising awareness of opportunities for women in aviation and STEM so it was a logical decision for the company to demonstrate its support for what will likely be the highest profile professional women's sporting event in the Piedmont Triad this year," he added. We're excited to get the Winston-Salem Open underway this weekend and build momentum with great matches and events throughout the week next week."

Tickets to the Women's Exhibition Match are sold out, but tickets to other sessions are now available online at WinstonSalemOpen.com/Tickets.

The 2019 Winston-Salem Open will be held August 17 through 24 at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex adjacent to BB&T Field. The official Winston-Salem Open app is available to download now in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. For more information on how to download the app, please visit WinstonSalemOpen.com.

About Honda Aircraft Company

Honda Aircraft Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Founded in 2006, Honda Aircraft's world headquarters is located in North Carolina, the birthplace of aviation. The challenging spirit upon which Mr. Soichiro Honda founded Honda Motor Co., Ltd. is alive today as Honda Aircraft fulfills one of Honda's longstanding dreams to advance human mobility skyward. Honda Aircraft is responsible for the design, manufacturing, sales, service and support of the HondaJet. The most delivered aircraft in its class for more than two years, the HondaJet fleet is comprised of more than 130 aircraft around the globe. Currently, Honda Aircraft Company sales and service network spans North America, Europe, Middle and South America, Southeast Asia, China, the Middle East, India and Japan.

For more information about Honda Aircraft, visit hondajet.com.

About the Winston-Salem Open

The Winston-Salem Open, an ATP World Tour 250 event with a total purse of more than $720,940, will take place from August 17-24, 2019, with qualifying set for August 17. The tournament will be the final men's event of the US Open Series and is the week prior to the US Open. For more information on the 2019 Winston-Salem Open, please go to WinstonSalemOpen.com.

About the US Open Series

Now in its 16th season, the world's best players on the WTA and ATP Tour are coming together for the US Open Series. Linking seven summer WTA and ATP Tour tournaments to the US Open, the US Open Series serves as a true "regular season" of hard-court tennis. Featuring a cohesive schedule, the Series centralizes the way tennis is viewed in North America, across multiple television and digital platforms. Fans will see today's top champions go head-to-head with tomorrow's emerging stars, as storylines develop throughout the summer season. Each tournament also engages its local community with a variety of outreach initiatives, including grass-roots youth tennis clinics and activities.

About The ATP

The ATP is the governing body of the men's professional tennis circuits - the ATP Tour, the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Champions Tour. With 63 tournaments in 30 countries, the 2019 ATP Tour showcases the finest male athletes competing in the world’s most exciting venues. From Australia to Europe and the Americas to Asia, the stars of the 2019 ATP Tour will battle for prestigious titles and ATP Rankings points at ATP Masters 1000, 500 and 250 events, as well as Grand Slams (non-ATP events). At the end of the season only the world's top 8 qualified singles players and doubles teams will qualify to compete for the last title of the season at the Nitto ATP Finals. Held at The O2 in London, the event will officially crown the 2019 ATP Tour No. 1. For more information, please visit ATPTour.com.