DALLAS, October 25 – Jim Courier and Thomas Enqvist both completed perfect 3-0 round-robin records Saturday to advance into the championship match at the $150,000 Stanford Championships at the Turpin Tennis Center on the campus of Southern Methodist University. In a re-match of the 2007 final of the Stanford Championships, Courier defeated defending champion Wayne Ferreira 6-4, 6-3, while Enqvist edged Todd Martin 4-6, 6-4, 11-9 (Champions Tie-Breaker). The Stanford Championships is the sixth of eight events on the 2008 Outback Champions Series, the global tennis circuit for champion tennis players age 30 and over.
Courier, a two-time French and Australian Open champion, used his trademark inside-out forehand to take early control of points and dictate play in winning his fourth straight match against Ferreira. Nonetheless, Ferreira stayed right with Courier until he served to stay in the opening set at 4-5. That’s when Courier struck for the decisive – and only – break of the first set to finish it off 6-4. The second set wasn’t much different, although it was even more in Courier’s favor. Courier gained an early break in the second set and never looked back. He ran into a bit of trouble while serving for the match at 5-3, but he saved two break points to seal the victory with a 6-3 decision.
“I had that lead in second set, but it never really felt safe,” said Courier. “Even though I’m serving well, I know Wayne is capable of doing just what he did in the second set, which is ripping some big shots and chasing some balls down.”
With a perfect 3-0 record heading into Sunday’s championship match, Courier said he is feeling great about his current form. “I’m playing really well,” he said. “My game is predicated on the forehand and the serve. The serve and the forehand is a one-two setup punch. I return pretty well to get into points, and from there I try to dominate with my forehand. It’s no mystery to any of these guys. We all know each other well at this point. It’s just about executing on the day. Right now, I’m on a good service rhythm, particularly on these courts, with how the ball is really flying here.”
“He served really well,” said Ferreira of Courier. “The ball was so fast today. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s during the day. The balls, they don’t really fluff up, they get really light. When he’s serves well and the ball is getting through like that, it’s tough. And when I got the ball in, it was hard to get rid of him and get the point going. So, a little bit tough. He just served better than me.”
Enqvist advanced into his first career Outback Champions Series final by outlasting Martin. Both men played at an extremely high level throughout the evening, but it was Martin who seized control early. The American moved Enqvist all over the court early on in the match and took the first set 6-4, with one service break. Enqvist, a former world No. 4 and the singles runner-up at the 1999 Australian Open, battled back in the second set, getting more aggressive and breaking early set to force a Champions tiebreaker, played in lieu of the third set. By winning at least a set, Enqvist was assured of reaching the final, but he pushed through none-the-less and won the Champions Tie-breaker 11-9.
“Todd was serving unbelievably well for a set and a half,” said Enqvist. “He forced me to make a lot of mistakes and then I started to get a few second serves to look at, I broke him and after that I played well enough to finish the second set off. But it all came down to the match tie-breaker. After I was down 5-Love, I started to serve really well and I was able to win a few important points. Sometimes luck goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t. It was a tough match, and I think I was a bit lucky tonight to win.”
While Ferreira will not defend his 2007 title in Dallas, he will play in Sunday’s third-place match against Aaron Krickstein, a 6-3, 6-4 winner over Jimmy Arias on Saturday. Against Arias, Krickstein broke serve in the second game of the match to open up a 2-0 lead and used that momentum to build a quick 5-0 advantage. Arias ran off three straight games at that point, but Krickstein served out the set at 5-3. Krickstein and Arias used similar tactics throughout the day, being consistent from the back of the court while waiting for an attackable forehand. Little separated the two players in the second set as the two progressed to 3-3. Krickstein, however, was quicker and had more power, and that primary difference finally started to show. He broke for a 4-3 lead and Arias could not recover, dropping serve again to succumb 6-3 in the second set.
“I played much better today,” said Krickstein. “I served much better. I got off to a good start, as opposed to yesterday. I moved better. But a lot of it is who you play. Thomas (Enqvist, his Friday opponent) hits a big ball. He certainly hits the biggest ball out here than anybody I’ve played. He serves really big. You need to hang in there on the first serve, like I did with Todd (Martin) in the first day, but I didn’t do that yesterday and it snowballed on me.”
Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features some of the biggest names in tennis over the last 25 years, including Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Courier and many others. To be eligible to compete on the Outback Champions Series, players must have reached at least a major 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.
The Outback Champions Series features eight events on its 2008 schedule, with each event featuring an eight-man round-robin match format. The winner of each four-player division meets in the title match while second place finishers in each division play in the third-place match. Each event features $150,000 in prize money with an undefeated winner taking home $54,000 as well as Champions Series ranking points that will determine the year-end Stanford Champions Rankings No. 1. Beginning in 2008, the year-end champion will receive a $100,000 bonus courtesy of Stanford Financial Group, the official rankings sponsor of the Outback Champions Series.
The 2008 Outback Champions Series kicked off March 12-16 in Naples, Fla., at The Oliver Group Champions Cup where Martin defeated McEnroe in the final. Courier won the second event of the season at The Residences at The Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman Legends Championships April 16-20, defeating Ferreira in the final, while McEnroe won his first career Outback Champions Series even in Boston April 30- May 4, defeating Krickstein in the final. Pat Cash won his first Outback Champions Series title in Newport, R.I., in August, defeating Courier in the final, while Courier won his second event of the season in September in Charlotte, defeating Martin in the final. The next three events on the 2008 Outback Champions Series calendar are Dallas, Surprise, Ariz., and Dubai, U.A.E. More information can be obtained by visiting www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com.
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 charity events and tennis fantasy camps, including the annual Ultimate Fantasy Camp. For more information, please log on to www.InsideOutSE.com or www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com
The remaining schedule for The Stanford Championships is as follows;
Sunday, October 26
1:30 pm
Wayne Ferreira vs. Aaron Krickstein – 3rd place match
Followed by
Jim Courier vs. Thomas Enqvist – Championship match
Round-Robin Results from Wednesday, October 22
Aaron Krickstein, United States, def. Todd Martin, United States, 7-6 (4), 6-4
Jim Courier, United States, def. Karel Novacek, Czech Republic, 6-3, 6-1
Round-Robin Results from Thursday, October 23
Thomas Enqvist, Sweden, def. Jimmy Arias, United States, 6-3, 6-2
Wayne Ferreira, South Africa, def. Justin Gimelstob, United States, 6-2, 7-6 (4)
Round-Robin Results From Friday, October 24
Wayne Ferreira, South Africa, def. Karel Novacek, Czech Republic, 7-5, 6-2
Todd Martin, United States, def. Jimmy Arias, United States, 6-4, 6-2
Thomas Enqvist, Sweden, def. Aaron Krickstein, United States, 6-1, 6-1
Jim Courier, United States, def. Justin Gimelstob, United States, 6-2, 4-6, 11-9 (Champions Tie-Breaker)
Round-Robin Results From Saturday, October 25
Jim Courier, United States, def. Wayne Ferreira, South Africa, 6-4, 6-3
Thomas Enqvist, Sweden, def. Todd Martin, United States, 4-6, 6-4, 11-9 (Champions Tie-Breaker)
Aaron Krickstein, United States, def. Jimmy Arias, United States, 6-3, 6-4
Karel Novacek, Czech Republic, def. Justin Gimelstob, United States, walkover (Luis Herrera of Mexico def. Novacek 6-3 in exhibition match)
Round-Robin Group Standings
Group A
Jim Courier 3-0
Wayne Ferreira 2-1
Karel Novacek 1-2
Justin Gimelstob 0-3
Group B
Thomas Enqvist 3-0
Aaron Krickstein 2-1
Todd Martin 1-2
Jimmy Arias 0-3
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