Miami here we come

MIAMI – Two-time defending champion and world’s No. 1 Roger Federer will make his first appearance at the 2007 Sony Ericsson Open on Saturday, March 24 at 8 p.m. on Stadium Court, highlighting a full night of entertainment at the Crandon Park Tennis Center that will include a fashion show, a ‘FIRE’ performance and a special guest anthem singer, Tournament Director Adam Barrett announced Wednesday.

One of the most dominant athletes of any sport, the 10-time Grand Slam champion reached a new milestone Monday when he broke Jimmy Connors' 30-year-old mark with his 161st week at the top of the ATP rankings, a streak that began Feb. 2, 2004.

Coinciding with his first appearance of the tournament, the Sony Ericsson Open will host a fashion show featuring the designs of Roberto Cavalli at the Nexxus Fashion Park and a pre-match entertainment spectacular on Stadium Court that will feature a fire themed dance show and an appearance by teen American pop singer JoJo, who will not only perform the national anthem but will also sing one of her hit songs.

Fans attending the evening session are encouraged to arrive when the gates open at 5:00 p.m. in order to get a good vantage point for the Cavalli Fashion Show scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. The world-renowned and exclusive designer for Christina Aguilera’s Back to Basics World Tour, Cavalli will showcase his designs that can be found in boutiques worldwide including New York, Miami, Paris, Rome, London, Moscow and Milan.

Once the models are finished gracing the stage, fans should get to their stadium seats early for the pre-match entertainment extravaganza which will begin at 7:40 pm with JoJo performing a song on stadium court.

The 16-year old entertainer made waves in the music industry in 2004 when her song “Leave (Get Out)” from her debut album reached No. 1 on the Billboard’s Top 40 Mainstream chart, making JoJo at 13 the youngest solo artist to top a Billboard chart. Her sophomore album, The High Road, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 in October and the first single “Too Little, Too Late” reached No. 3 on the Hot 100.

At the conclusion of JoJo’s performance, spectators will be awed and amazed by ‘FIRE’, a Triton Productions show featuring pyrotechnic performers, fire dancers and percussion drummers. JoJo will then take Stadium Court once again to perform the national anthem, which will be followed by Federer and his opponent entering the court under the stadium lights.

Holding a career tournament record of 25-6, Federer enters the Sony Ericsson Open seeking his third straight title, which if captured, would tie him with Andre Agassi (2001-03) for most consecutive men’s singles titles in the tournament’s history.

Federer’s potential opponent will be announced with the rest of the men’s and women’s tournament draw at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, March 19. With a first-round bye, he will have two extra days to prepare for his opening match.