NEW YORK, NY USA - Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and the Williams sisters will face off in a one night only, single elimination event which will also celebrate tennis legend Billie Jean King. The BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup is scheduled for Monday, March 2 at Madison Square Garden and will be telecast live on HBO at 7:30pm.

Limited front row VIP tickets for $1,000.00 and additional tickets listed at $325.00, $175.00, $125.00, $75.00, and $50.00 have gone on sale and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office, all Ticketmaster outlets and on the internet at www.thegarden.com. The $1.2-million event, the featured component of the national Tennis Night in America promotion, is produced by StarGames in association with Madison Square Garden. The event will benefit the Dream Vaccines Foundation and Women's Sports Foundation.

"I am honored to be part of an event that showcases Serena, Venus, Jelena, and Ana - four of the best in women's tennis today - in one of the most storied tennis venues in the world," King said. "This collection of players, competing in this spectacular venue, in an event that benefits the Women's Sports Foundation and other organizations, is the perfect mix to deliver an exciting and entertaining celebration of women's sports and tennis."

On the heels of last spring’s sold out Pete Sampras-Roger Federer extravaganza, women's tennis returns to Madison Square Garden for the first time since 2000 when Martina Hingis beat Monica Seles in the season-ending Championships. The Garden hosted the event every year but one between 1977 and 2000.

"Women's tennis has a long-standing tradition at Madison Square Garden and we are excited that it will return with this premier event," said Joel Fisher, executive vice president, MSG Sports. "Madison Square Garden aspires to host the biggest events with the brightest stars in sports and entertainment, and this evening of tennis certainly fits the bill."

"BNP Paribas is excited to be the title sponsor of the BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup," declared Everett Schenk, CEO of BNP Paribas North America. "As supporters of tennis at every level, worldwide, we're pleased to be associated with such an exciting and unparalleled event matching up the world's top women's players. We're also thrilled that it's taking place in New York, BNP Paribas' North American headquarters."

This event will mark the return of professional tennis to HBO. For 25 years beginning in 1975, HBO was the exclusive cable network home of Wimbledon.

"We are very excited to be telecasting the BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup," said Ross Greenburg, president of HBO Sports. "We have had a relationship with Billie Jean since 1984 and it's wonderful to be associated with this unique event."

"We saw from our Sampras-Federer Battle for Tennis History in March that the New York audience and the tennis community were hungry to have world class tennis back at Madison Square Garden," stated StarGames President Jerry Solomon. "With the BNP Paribas Showdown we will bring together some of the biggest names in tennis, sports and entertainment to not only showcase the top women in the world but also honor Billie Jean King. We are looking forward once again to a tremendous night at the Garden, one that fans won't want to miss."

The pool of players for this one night event is unprecedented, including three women who over the course of the 2008 season held the No.1 ranking and all four of whom have been No.1 at least once in their career. The grouping also consists of three Grand Slam winners, as well as four of the eight qualifiers of the Sony Ericsson Championships - Doha 2008, won by Venus Williams.

In this unique format, each participant will compete in a one set, no ad scoring semifinal, with the winners advancing to a best of three set final (regular scoring) for the Billie Jean King Cup. Depending on the draw, which will be announced at a later date, there exists a potential rematch of both the 2008 US Open (Serena Williams vs Jankovic) and Wimbledon (Williams vs Williams) finals.

Through Tennis Night in America, which will culminate at the Showdown, the USTA will continue its efforts to grow youth participation in the sport of tennis. Tennis Night in America will be among the largest ever grass roots initiatives the sport has ever seen. The USTA, the national governing body for the sport, will make this event a major component for its first-ever National Youth Registration Night, where kids and teenagers all over the country can begin signing up for spring and summer league play. The USTA will also kick off its search for America's Best Tennis Town in conjunction with the MSG event, a nationwide search for the most passionate tennis town in America that will culminate with the announcement of the winner at the 2009 US Open in August.

"Our core mission is to grow the sport of tennis throughout the United States," said USTA Executive Director and COO Gordon Smith. "An exciting event such as this, featuring four of the most dynamic players in the game in one of the most revered venues in the world, is a wonderful opportunity to not only galvanize our fans, but to attract so many more to this great sport."