NAPLES, Fla., March 14, 2008 – Aaron Krickstein continued his run of good play at The Oliver Group Champions Cup Friday staging a 6-3, 6-7 (1), 10-3 (Champions Tie Break) upset of Todd Martin, the No. 1 ranked player on the Outback Champions Series from 2007, on the second day of round robin play at the Players Club & Spa at Lely Resort. Other winners on the third day of competition included John McEnroe, Jim Courier and Magnus Larsson. McEnroe defeated Mikael Pernfors 4-6, 6-3, 10-6 (Champions Tie-Break), Courier defeated Anders Jarryd 6-2, 7-5 and Larsson defeated Jimmy Arias 6-4, 6-4. The Oliver Group Champions Cup is the opening event on the Outback Champions Series, a collection of tennis events around the world featuring the greatest names in tennis over
the age of 30.
Last year, Krickstein reached the singles final in Naples – his best career result on the Outback Champions Series – losing to Wayne Ferreira. After losing to Courier in Wednesday’s opening round-robin match, Krickstein put himself in position to qualify for either Sunday’s championship match or third-place match with his upset over Martin.
Said Martin of the Krickstein match, “Aaron played real well today. He has not played well against me in other tournaments in the series and this time he did. The two most important things when you play is how you control your mind and the way you move and today Aaron was moving well and was aware of what he was doing.”
Krickstein is playing in Naples this week with a relative relic of a tennis racquet – the Wilson Pro Staff – that was debuted on the tennis market in the early 1980s. The former U.S. Davis Cup standout said his comfort level and feel he has with the older racquet frame allows him to play better than with the more technologically advanced racquets.
“I tend to use racquets for a long time – and when I find that I’m comfortable with them, and I’m playing well, I don’t find a reason to change,” said Krickstein. “Some of my racquets are almost 22 years old. I still have many of the racquets that I’ve used for many years, and I just prefer them to some of the new technology. It’s about being comfortable and being able to focus on keeping the rest of my game sharp.”
McEnroe won his second straight match in a Champions Tie Break (played in lieu of a third set) against Pernfors. On Thursday night, McEnroe defeated Arias also in a 10-6 Champions Tie-Break. The four-time US Open champion can clinch a spot in Sunday’s singles final with a win over Larsson Saturday night. McEnroe is seeking his first singles title on the Outback Champions Series.
“I still feel I have not found my range,” said McEnroe of his first two match wins in Naples. “To be honest, I have been lucky.”
McEnroe credited his serve that allowed him to overpower the crafty Pernfors.
“I hit a lot of good serves in the second set including my second serve which is helpful,” McEnroe said. “I wasn’t hitting a lot on the baseline so I tried coming in and it was working. I started taking more chances and it worked.”
Round-robin play concludes Saturday as Krickstein takes on Jarryd and Martin meets Courier in the afternoon session, while the night session features Arias against Pernfors and McEnroe against Larsson.
The Oliver Group Champions Cup features an eight-man round-robin match format with the winner of each four-player division meeting in the title match while second place finishers in each division meet in the third-place match. The event features $150,000 in prize money with an undefeated winner taking home $54,000 as well as Stanford Champions ranking points that will determine the year-end champion and the winner of a $100,000 bonus. More information – including ticket information – is available by visiting http://www.championsseriestennis.com/
About The Outback Champions Series
Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features eight events where champion tennis players continue to exercise their competitive instincts in tournament formats that feature prize money and Champions Series ranking points that determine a year-end No. 1 player on the Stanford Champions Rankings. To be eligible to compete on the Outback Champions Series, players must have either; reached a Grand Slam singles final, been ranked in the top five in the world or played singles on a championship Davis Cup team. Each event also has the right to choose a “wild card” entrant.
About InsideOut Sports & Entertainment
InsideOut Sports & Entertainment is a New York City-based independent producer of proprietary events and promotions founded in 2004 by former world No. 1 and Hall of Fame tennis player Jim Courier and former SFX and Clear Channel executive Jon Venison. In 2005, InsideOut launched its signature property, the Outback Champions Series, a collection of tennis events featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. In addition, InsideOut produces many other successful events including one-night “Legendary Night” exhibitions as well as corporate outings, charity events and tennis fantasy camps, including the annual Ultimate Fantasy Camp. For more information, please log on to http://www.InsideOutSE.com or http://www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com .
About C & H Events
C & H Events, Inc. is a full-service event management and marketing company based in Boca Raton, Fla. Among the tennis events C & H Events manages in addition to The Oliver Group Champions Cup is Swingtime Benefiting the Tim & Tom Gullikson Foundation, Mardy’s Tennis and Jake’s Music Fest to benefit the Mardy Fish Foundation, the Bank of the West Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic and Couples Resorts Tennis Fantasy Camp. Please visit http://www.chevents.com/ for further details about C & H Events.
ROUND ROBIN GROUP A
John McEnroe 1-0
Mikael Pernfors 1-0
Magnus Larsson 1-1
Jimmy Arias 0-2
ROUND ROBIN GROUP B
Jim Courier 1-0
Aaron Krickstein 1-1
Todd Martin 1-1
Anders Jarryd 0-1
Wednesday Results
Todd Martin, United States, def. Anders Jarryd, Sweden, 7-6 (5), 6-3
Jim Courier, United States, def. Aaron Krickstein, United States, 6-1, 3-6,
10-6 (Champions Tie-Break)
Thursday Results
Mikael Pernfors, Sweden, def. Magnus Larsson, Sweden, 7-6 (8), 7-6 (5)
John McEnroe, United States, def. Jimmy Arias, United States, 7-6(4), 2-6,
10-6 (Champions Tie Break)
SATURDAY SCHEDULE
1:30 pm
Aaron Krickstein vs. Anders Jarryd
Todd Martin vs. Jim Courier
6:30 pm
Mikael Pernfors vs. Jimmy Arias
John McEnroe vs. Magnus Larsson
SUNDAY SCHEDULE
1:30 pm
Third-Place Match
To Follow
Championship Match
