By Gabriela Resto-Montero
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MURRAY HILL — Taking a set from tennis phenom Caroline Wozniacki may be a tough task for Manhattan fans, but all they have to do to take her racket is put up some cash.
The St. Giles Hotel in Midtown East, where Wozniacki stayed during her 2010 US Open appearance, began accepting bids Tuesday for the tennis star's signed Babolat AeroPro racket, for an auction to benefit Sean Penn's Haiti relief charity.
Bids for the racket, which is currently on display in the hotel's lobby, will be accepted by the hotel's concierge until Oct. 31, when the winner will be announced.
Proceeds from the sale will go towards helping residents of a refugee camp in Port-Au-Prince, said David Lopez, general manager of the hotel.
"If you can help 55,000 people, that's a start," Lopez said of the number of displaced people in the camp.
Penn's Haiti relief group launched just hours after the earthquake hit and focuses on building shelter, according to the non-profit's website.
Wozniacki, 20, entered the 2010 US Open as the top seed but lost to Vera Zvonareva in the semifinals. The Babolat racket she used in the tournament retails for about $190 but staff at the hotel hope the tennis player's star status will bring in a higher price at auction.
