IPSWICH, UK - The Elena Baltacha Foundation (EBF) will celebrate the end of a successful 2017 with a “Fire and Ice” themed awards gala.

The foundation was created in 2014 in memory of Elena “Bally” Baltacha, Britain’s former No.1 player who retired from tennis in 2012 and passed away two years later after losing her battle with cancer. Bally’s dream of helping make tennis accessible to all children lives in in the foundation’s work, as well as the Elena Baltacha Academy of Tennis in her hometown of Ipswich in Suffolk.

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Nino Severino, Bally's coach, husband and chairman of EBF, is committed to ensuring that her “Legacy Lives On”.

Elena Baltacha's dream of making tennis accessible to all girls lives on through her foundation. (EBF)

“Bally is still an inspiration,” Severino said. “Her vision and legacy are as strong as ever, and live on through me, patrons like Judy Murray and Martina Navratilova, and also the many Ambassadors and official foundation friends, as well as her devoted team and the many thousands of children who benefit from the foundation’s activities every year. We are all very excited to have the WTA’s support.”

He added, “The WTA have honoured Bally in the perfect way, by offering to support her foundation through our work with young girls. With the WTA, we are exploring how we can now go to the next level and positively affect thousands of young girl’s lives through sport.”

Bally and Nino speaking at a school assembly in 2012. (EBF)

Held at Trinity Park in Ipswich on December 10, this year’s EBF Awards will host 300 guests and celebrate all the work and successes that the foundation has achieved in 2017.

Guests will enjoy watching many of the VIPs, celebrities and dignitaries presenting the awards that will be given out to the Foundation players, which include the Serena and Venus Williams Vase, and the Judy Murray Award - items personally donated by the sisters and Judy Murray. Personal messages from the elite eight BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global players will also be shown at the ceremony.

Click here to learn more about the Elena Baltacha Foundation and its work. 

WTA Charities is the WTA's global philanthropic organization dedicated to making a positive impact across the globe. Our mission is to be a social responsibility vehicle built on the WTA's values to empower and provide for a better future. We're dedicated to combining, strengthening and enhancing the community and charitable efforts of the WTA through its members (players, alumnae and tournaments), along with our partners.

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