City due cash, publicity bonanza

The three-day Davis Cup final that Portland will host later this fall is expected to serve up more than $15 million in revenue for the city, U.S. Tennis Association officials said Monday.

“We’ll find a national and international audience,” said Drew Mahalic, chief executive of the Oregon Sports Authority, which helped bid for the tennis showcase.

Mahalic joined Portland Mayor Tom Potter, USTA officials and others at City Hall on Wednesday afternoon to cheer the association’s decision selecting the Memorial Coliseum as the venue for the first Davis Cup final held on U.S. soil in 15 years. The event pits top men’s players from the United States and Russia, the final two nations in an annual 16-team tournament.

 – Excerpt from The Oregonian, September 27, 2007