Tennis Fans Need Better Information

In Lisa Dillman’s column [Aug. 19], she comments on the “lack of attendance” at the recent women’s pro tournament in Carson at the new Home Depot Center.

While the reasons listed are valid -- the move from Manhattan Beach to a new venue, high prices for food and parking, and the absence of star power (the Williams sisters) -- a more accurate explanation is in order.

As long as two months before the event, both Ticketmaster and the tournament Web site listed the stadium as “sold out” for the week. On driving to Carson out of frustration the week before the start of the tournament, the manager of the ticket office “found” two general admission tickets for the quarterfinals on Friday afternoon. As any attendee or TV fan saw, seats were abundant for all sessions. Merely hundreds were in the 8,000-seat stadium at any time. May this fiasco be remedied for this once-a-year tennis event.

Dan Anzel

Los Angeles