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Jimmy Arias Named Director of Player Development For IMG Academy

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IMG Academy announced the addition of former longtime ATP World Tour pro Jimmy Arias as the new Director of Player Development. Arias will help manage technical instruction and program delivery for IMG Academy’s boarding school students and professional trainees.

“This is where I came as a teenager to develop my game, and it’s exciting to have the opportunity to come back and foster the development of such a talented group of players,” said Arias. “In all my travels as a player and as a commentator, there is no place in the world where players have such a dynamic team to help them achieve their potential.”

Arias was one of the original tennis students at IMG Academy, then the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, when it opened in 1978. He turned pro at age 16, and within three years, reached the U.S. Open singles semifinals, won the 1981 French Open mixed doubles and claimed four professional singles titles. Arias reached a career-high of No. 5 in the world in 1984 at age 20. Since his retirement from the professional ranks, Arias has been involved in the game as both a coach and a commentator for ESPN, The Tennis Channel, Rogers Sportsnet and the Canadian Broadcasting Network.

“Adding Jimmy’s knowledge of the game and insights on player development is a huge win for our program,” remarked Chip McCarthy, IMG Academy Managing Director. “Every player on our campus will benefit from the unique perspective he brings from a nearly four-decade career as a player, coach and analyst.”

The appointment of Arias comes on the heels of announcing the hiring of world-renowned strength and conditioning coach Yutaka Nakamura joining IMG Academy as Head of Tennis Physical Conditioning.

About IMG Academy
IMG Academy is one of the world’s largest and most advanced multi-sport training and educational institutions. IMG Academy helps countless youth, adult, collegiate and professional athletes reach their full potential in and out of sport by providing world-class teaching and coaching, tailored programs and professional facilities. IMG Academy also serves as a training and competition venue for amateur and professional teams, a host site for a variety of events, and a hub for sports performance research and innovation.

Jimmy Arias
Jimmy Arias

Mondays With Bob Greene: I am like a machine, fit for every match

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STARS
Ayumi Morita beat Ksenia Lykina 6-1 6-3 to win the 2008 Dunlop World Challenge women’s event in Toyota City, Japan
Martin Vassallo Arguello won the Lima Challenger 2008, beating Sergio Roitman 6-2 4-6 6-4 in Lima, Peru
Go Soeda beat Hyung-Taik Lee 6-2 7-6 (7) to win the Dunlop World Challenge men’s singles in Toyota City, Japan
Grega Zemlja beat Martin Alund 6-2 6-1 to win the Abierto Internacional Varonil Ciudad de Cancun in Cancun, Mexico
SAYING
“This was our worst defeat. We had a sinister weekend.” – David Nalbandian, who earned Argentina’s lone point in Spain’s 3-1 Davis Cup victory.
“I think he’s my natural successor. He’s very close to this group of players who are integrated into the nucleus of the team and he’s demonstrated his qualities as a coach by leading Feliciano (Lopez), who has shown notable progression in the last while.” – Emilio Sanchez, on Albert Costa’s prospects for becoming Spain’s Davis Cup captain.
“I am like a machine, fit for every match, and I give my best for all my matches. I have a consistent style of play, which is my major strength and keeps me going. I am fine with the current ATP schedule and love playing tennis, which keeps me going.” – Nikolay Davydenko.
“It goes back to what my dad said: I peaked at 12 years old.” – Jimmy Arias, who in 1980 at the age of 16 became the youngest player to make the main draw of the US Open.
“She will have an opportunity but she will have to earn it.” – Craig Tiley, Australian Open tournament director on Jelena Dokic playing in a wild card playoff for a direct entry into the first Grand Slam tournament of 2009.
SUFFERIN’ SUCCOTASH
His business manager says Jimmy Connors is “extremely disappointed and embarrassed” about an incident that led to the tennis legend being charged with a misdemeanor. Karen Scott says a man tried to pick a fight with Connors and his son before a basketball game between the University of California Santa Barbara and the University of North Carolina. Police asked Connors to leave, but the eight-time Grand Slam tournament champion was arrested after he said he wanted to wait for his son to finish watching the game. Connors was charged with disrupting campus activities and refusing to leave a university facility.
STEPS DOWN
The day after leading Spain to its third Davis Cup championship, Emilio Sanchez Vicario retired as captain of the victorious team. “I will not be there for the tie against Serbia,” said Sanchez, referring to Spain’s first-round tie in 2009. “I started something three years ago and the cycle is now complete with this reward for all the players, and I hope that whoever replaces me can share all the magical moments I have experienced.” The next Spanish captain is rumored to be Albert Costa, the 2002 Roland Garros champion.
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SAME IN ARGENTINA
Alberto Mancini apparently is through as coach of Argentina’s Davis Cup squad. He announced his resignation just hours after Spain clinched its third Davis Cup title, defeating Argentina 3-1 in the best-of-five-matches tie. The fifth match was not played. According to reports, Mancini had planned to resign after the final regardless of the outcome.
SCORING MORE
As an incentive to play better, Chinese tennis players will be able to keep more of their winnings. China’s players will keep 70 percent of the money they win, twice the amount they have been able to put into the bank. But the country’s top players, including Li Na and Wimbledon semifinalist Zheng Jie, are eligible to keep even more if they do well at Grand Slams and other big tournaments. In China, the sports associations have paid for coaches, travel and other expenses for the players. In making the announcement, Sun Jinfang, head of the Chinese Tennis Association (CTA), didn’t say if the players would now have to pay for some of their own expenses.
SQUARING OFF
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer could resume their rivalry in their opening 2009 tournament. The world’s top two players are scheduled to play the Qatar Open in Doha, Qatar, which begins January 5. According to Nasser al-Kholiafi, Qatar tennis federation president, the star-filled field will also include Andy Murray and Andy Roddick. The Qatar Open is one of three tournaments that will begin the 2009 ATP season, the others being the Brisbane International in Australia and the Chennai Open in India.
STOPPED
Kimiko Date-Krumm’s latest tournament ended quickly in the singles. Once ranked number five in the world, Date-Krumm lost her second-round match in the 2008 Dunlop World Challenge Tennis Tournament in Toyota, Japan, to Russian wild-card Ksenia Lykina 5-7 7-5 6-3. She did much better in the doubles, teaming with China’s Han Xinyun to reach the final, where they lost to Finland’s Emma Laine and Britain’s Melanie South 6-1 7-5.
SLUITER RETURNS
Dutch tennis player Raemon Sluiter is returning to the ATP tour after a 10-month retirement. He reached his highest world ranking of number 46 in 2003. The right-hander from Rotterdam turned pro in 1996 and earned a little more than USD $1.6 million in his career. Sluiter began his Davis Cup career in 2001 by upsetting Juan Carlos Ferrero as the Netherlands beat Spain and Germany to reach the World Group semifinals before losing to France. He also has a Davis Cup victory over Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen.
SET TO EXPLODE
A live bomb from World War II was discovered when a court at a British tennis club underwent renovation. The bomb was thought to be a piece of old farm machinery and handed to Steve McLean, chairman of the Greenlaw Tennis Club in Berwickshire, who put it in a bin. Six weeks later, he realized it was a bomb and called police. Army bomb disposal experts took the bomb away so it could be detonated safely.
STUMBLE
The first event in a closed tour for Asian players was canceled because of the lack of top players. The Asian Tennis Federation said it was planning a closed Asian Tennis Tour to help Asian players make more money. The first two events were to be held in India in December, a men’s tournament in Pune, followed by a women’s event in Indore. But some of the eight countries who had pledged their participation in the tour ended up nominated their third- or fourth-string players for the tournaments.
SENDS WARNING
John McEnroe hasn’t been quiet about his chances at the BlackRock Masters Tennis championships at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The lefthander, who at the age of 49 is by far the oldest in the eight-man draw, sent a video message to his rivals warning them not to underestimate him. McEnroe’s recent victory in Luxembourg has convinced the American that he can still compete. McEnroe is in a group with American Pete Sampras, Frenchman Cedric Pioline and Britain’s Jeremy Bates. The other group consists of Sweden’s Stefan Edberg, Australian Pat Cash, Britain’s Greg Rusedski and France’s Guy Forget. Jamie Murray, Wimbledon mixed doubles champion in 2007 and the brother of Andy Murray, will play doubles, joining, among others, Peter Fleming, Henri Leconte, Mansour Bahrami, Mark Woodforde and Anders Jarryd. Goran Ivanisevic withdrew from the singles field because he will undergo knee surgery.
SITTING ON TOP
For the third consecutive year, France has more players in the year-ending ATP Top 100 than any other nation. This year, however, Spain has tied France with 14 players in the Top 100. With Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at number six and Gilles Simon at number seven, it is the first time since 1986 that two Frenchmen have been in the year-end Top Ten. Yannick Noah and Henri Leconte did it then. Twenty-nine countries are represented in the Top 100. After France and Spain, Argentina has nine players in the Top 100, followed by the United States with eight, Germany and Russia with seven each, Croatia with five, the Czech Republic and Italy with four each, and Serbia and Belgium with three apiece.
STARS FOR SALE
The Heineken Open has reportedly been forced to shell out record appearance fees in order to land a couple of top players for the tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, beginning January 12. The headliners will be world number eight Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina and former champion David Ferrer of Spain. Tournament director Richard Palmer would not reveal the exact amount of appearance fees he had to pay to get the two, but said it was considerably less than the sums some top 10 players were demanding.
SO HAPPY
Organizers of the US Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston, Texas, are smiling these days. Because of the changes in the ATP calendar for 2009, Lleyton Hewitt and the Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, have committed to the US Clay Court. The Houston event now doesn’t bump up against Davis Cup competition or a popular clay-court tournament in Europe. And it directly follows the Masters 100 tournament in Miami, Florida. “This is a perfect example of how we’ve improved our prospects of getting some players we probably wouldn’t have had a shot at before,” said Van Barry, tennis director of River Oaks Country Club, site of the tournament.
SERBIAN DREAMS
The decrepit courts of the Milan Gale Muskatirovic Sports Centre in Belgrade, Serbia, will be restored in time to hold an ATP tournament in May. Tennis Masters Cup champion Novak Djokovic and his family are behind the changes, having acquired the ATP event only a few weeks ago. The Serbian government, city of Belgrade and municipality of Stari Grad will jointly pay more than USD $1 million for the venture. The courts also will be used by the Serbian Tennis Federation for Fed Cup and Davis Cup practice as well as university competition. When completed, the complex will have seven courts with seating for 5,000 at the Central Court. The restoration is scheduled to be completed by mid-April, two weeks before the tournament will begin.
SYDNEY CALLING
The Medibank International Sydney 2009 tournament will feature a number of top players, including Serena Williams, Jelena Jankovic, David Nalbandian and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Officials say the competition will be Sydney’s international sporting event of the Australian summer. Also in the field will be Russian Elena Dementieva and Frenchman Richard Gasquet, while Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt will be gunning for his fifth title in the tournament.
STICKING WITH IT
Argentina’s David Nalbandian refuted rumors that he is considering quitting his country’s Davis Cup team because of its loss to Spain. “For me it’s really an honor to represent my country. I’m going to continue defending these colors in the best way possible. For me, playing Davis Cup is the best and I’m upset that people have doubted me.” Nalbandian won the opening singles in the three-day competition, beating David Ferrer. But he and Agustin Calleri lost their doubles match and his “reverse singles” match was never played because Spain had already wrapped up its victory. “We’ve played in two Davis Cup finals in the last three years and I still think we can win it,” Nalbandian said.
SET FOR CHENNAI
India’s two top-ranked singles players, Somdev Devvarman and Prakash Amritraj, have been given wild cards into the Chennai Open tournament scheduled to begin January 5. The third wild card into the main singles draw has been offered to Lukas Dlouhy of the Czech Republic, who will partner India’s Leander Paes in the doubles. India’s Mahesh Bhupathi and his partner, Mark Knowles of the Bahamas, have also entered the tournament. While Paes and Bhupathi are India’s best-known players, neither play singles that much any more.
SAD NEWS
Anne Pittman, who coached Arizona State’s women’s tennis program for 30 years, died in Tempe, Arizona, after suffering a stroke. She was 90 years old. Pittman guided ASU to a 338-71 record from 1954 through 1984 and led the Sun Devils to national championships in 1971, 1972 and 1974. In 1995, she was selected as one of the charter members and only coach into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Women’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame. During her tenure, the women’s tennis coach was considered a volunteer position. Pittman refused to retire until funding was approved during the 1983-84 season to make the coach a paid, full-time position.
SHARED PERFORMANCES
Toyota (women): Emma Laine and Melanie South beat Kimiko Date-Krumm and Han Xinyun 6-1 7-5
Lima: Luis Horna and Sebastian Prieto beat Ramon Delgado and Julio Silva 6-3 6-3
Toyota (men): Frederik Nielsen and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi beat Chen Ti and Gazegorz Panfil 7-5 6-3
Cancun: Lukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach beat Lee Hsin-Han and Yang Tsung-Hua 7-5 6-2
SITES TO SURF
London: www.theblackrockmasters.com/
Australian Open: www.australianopen.com/
ATP: www.atptennis.com
WTA Tour: www.sonyericssonwtatour.com
ITF: www.itftennis.com
TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
SENIORS
BlackRock Masters Tennis, London, England, carpet

On This Day In Tennis History Is Latest Book Release From New Chapter Press

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – New Chapter Press has announced the publication of its latest book – On This Day In Tennis History -a calendar-like compilation of historical and unique anniversaries, events and happenings from the world of tennis through the years – written by Randy Walker, the sports marketing and media specialist, tennis historian and former U.S. Tennis Association press officer.
On This Day In Tennis History ($19.95, 528 pages), is a fun and fact-filled, this compilation offers anniversaries, summaries, and anecdotes of events from the world of tennis for every day in the calendar year. Presented in a day-by-day format, the entries into this mini-encyclopedia include major tournament victory dates, summaries of the greatest matches ever played, trivia, and statistics as well as little-known and quirky happenings. Easy-to-use and packed with fascinating details, the book is the perfect companion for tennis and general sports fans alike and is an excellent gift idea for the holiday season. The book features fascinating and unique stories of players such as John McEnroe, Don Budge, Bill Tilden, Chris Evert, Billie Jean King, Jimmy Connors, Martina Navratilova, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Anna Kournikova among many others. On This Day In Tennis History is available for purchase via on-line book retailers and in bookstores in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. More information on the book can be found at www.tennishistorybook.com
Said Hall of Famer Jim Courier of the book, “On This Day In Tennis History is a fun read that chronicles some of the most important-and unusual-moments in the annals of tennis. Randy Walker is an excellent narrator of tennis history and has done an incredible job of researching and compiling this entertaining volume.” Said tennis historian Joel Drucker, author of Jimmy Connors Saved My Life, “An addictive feast that you can enjoy every possible way-dipping in for various morsels, devouring it day-by-day, or selectively finding essential ingredients. As a tennis writer, I will always keep this book at the head of my table.” Said Bill Mountford, former Director of Tennis of the USTA National Tennis Center, “On This Day In Tennis History is an easy and unique way to absorb the greatest-and most quirky-moments in tennis history. It’s best read a page a day!”
Walker is a writer, tennis historian and freelance publicist and sports marketer. A 12-year veteran of the U.S. Tennis Association’s Marketing and Communications Division, he served as the press officer for the U.S. Davis Cup team from 1997 to 2005 and for the U.S. Olympic tennis teams in 1996, 2000 and 2004. He also served as the long-time editor of the U.S. Open Record Book during his tenure at the USTA from 1993 to 2005.
More information on the book can be found at www.tennistomes.com as well as on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1627089030&ref=name and on myspace at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=428100548
People mentioned in the book include, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Goran Ivanisevic, Andre Agassi, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Monica Seles, Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic, Maria Sharapova, Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters, Amelie Mauresmo, Anna Kounikova, Jennifer Capriati, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Martina Hingis, Gustavo Kuerten, Svetlana Kuznetsova, James Blake, Wilmer Allison, Mal Anderson, Arthur Ashe, Juliette Atkinson, Henry “Bunny” Austin, Tracy Austin, Boris Becker, Kark Behr, Pauline Betz, Bjorn Borg, Jean Borotra, John Bromwich, Norman Brookes, Louise Brough, Jacques Brugnon, Butch Buchholz, Don Budge, Maria Bueno, Rosie Casals, Michael Chang, Philippe Chatrier, Dodo Cheney, Henri Cochet, Maureen Connolly, Jimmy Connors, Jim Courier, Ashley Cooper, Margaret Court, Jack Crawford, Allison Danzig, Dwight Davis, Lottie Dod, John Doeg, Laurence Doherty, Reggie Doherty, Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers, Jaroslav Drobny, Margaret duPont, Francoise Durr, James Dwight, Stefan Edberg, Roy Emerson, Chis Evert, Bob Falkenburg, Neale Fraser, Shirley Fry, Althea Gibson, Pancho Gonzalez, Evonne Goolagong, Arthur Gore, Steffi Graf, Bitsy Grant, Darlene Hard, Doris Hart, Anne Jones, Gladys Heldman, Slew Hester, Bob Hewitt, Lew Hoad, Harry Hopman, Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman, Joe Hunt, Frank Hunter, Helen Jacobs, Bill Johnston, Perry Jones, Bob Kelleher, Billie Jean King, Jan Kodes, Karel Kozeluh, Jack Kramer, Rene Lacoste, Bill Larned, Art Larsen, Rod Laver, Ivan Lendl, Suzanne Lenglen, George Lott, Gene Mako, Molla Mallory, Hana Mandlikova, Alice Marble, Dan Maskell, Simone Mathieu, Mark McCormack, John McEnroe, Ken McGregor, Kitty Godfree, Chuck McKinley, Maurice McLoughlin, Frew McMillian, Don McNeill, Elisabeth Moore, Angela Mortimer, Gardnar Mulloy, Ilie Nastase, Martina Navratilova, John Newcombe, Yannick Noah, Jana Novotna, Betty Nuthall, Alex Olmedo, Rafael Osuna, Frank Parker, Gerald Patterson, Budge Patty, Fred Perry, Nicola Pietrangeli, Adrian Quist, Patrick Rafter, Dennis Ralson, Vinnie Richards, Nancy Richey, Cliff Richey, Bobby Riggs, Tony Roche, Mervyn Rose, Ken Rosewall, Elizbeth Ryan, Gabriela Sabatini, Pete Sampras, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Manuel Santana, Dick Savitt, Ted Schroeder, Gene Scott, Richard Sears, Frank Sedgman, Pancho Segura, Vic Seixas, Frank Shields, Pam Shriver, Stan Smith, Fred Stolle, Bill Talbert, Bill Tilden, Tony Trabert, Lesley Turner, Jimmy Van Alen, John Van Ryn, Guillermo Vilas, Ellsworth Vines, Brian Gottfried, Virginia Wade, Holcombe Ward, Watson Washburn, Mal Whitman, Mats Wilander, Tony Wilding, Helen Wills Moody, Sidney Wood, Robert Wrenn, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Todd Woodbridge, Marat Safin, Leslie Allen, Sue Barker, Jonas Bjorkman, Mahesh Bhupathi, Donald Dell, Albert Costa, Mark Cox, Owen Davidson, Pat Cash, Mary Carillo, John Isner, Roscoe Tanner, Vijay Amritraj, Mark Woodforde, Tim Henman, Richard Krajicek, Conchita Martinez, Mary Joe Fernandez, Cliff Drysdale, Mark Edmondson, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Zina Garrson, Roland Garros, Wojtek Fibak, Tom Gullikson, Andres Gimeno, Vitas Gerulaitis, Fernando Gonzalez, Tim Henman, Goran Ivanisevic, Andrea Jaeger, Ivo Karlovic, Richard Krajicek, Petr Korda, Luke Jensen, Murphy Jensen, Rick Leach, Iva Majoil, Barry MacKay, Ivan Ljubicic, Cecil Mamiit, David Caldwell, Alex Metreveli, Nicolas Massu, Todd Martin, Gene Mayer, Thomas Muster, Tom Okker, Charlie Pasarell, Mary Pierce, Whitney Reed, Leander Paes, Renee Richards, Helen Sukova, Michael Stich, Betty Stove, Ion Tiriac, Brian Teacher, Wendy Turnbull,  Richards, Fabrice Santoro, Ai Sugiyama, Patrick McEnroe, Camille Pin, Phil Dent, Jelena Dokic, Mark Edmondson, Gael Monfils, Xavier Malisse, Dinara Safina, Barry Lorge, Stefano Pescosolido, Fabrice Santoro, Roscoe Tanner, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Roger Smith, Erik van Dillen, Gene Mayer, Tamara Pasek, Stefan Koubek, Jie Zheng, Gisela Dulko, Kristian Pless, Chuck McKinley, Marty Riessen, Brad Gilbert, Tim Mayotte, Andrea Petkovic, Klara Koukalova, Bobby Reynolds, Dominik Hrbaty, Andreas Seppi, Christopher Clarey, Casey Dellacqua, Anders Jarryd, Janko Tipsarevic, Nadia Petrova, Christian Bergstrom, Ramesh Krishnan, Emily Sanchez, Marcos Baghdatis, Mark Philippousssis, Wally Masur, Paul McNamee, Daniela Hantuchova, Gerry Armstrong, Younes El Aynaoui, Thomas Johansson, Pat Cash, Lisa Raymond, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Chanda Rubin, Tony Roche, Alex O’Brien, Petr Korda, Karol Kucera, Amelie Mauresmo, Juan Gisbert, Pablo Cuevas, Jim Pugh, Rick Leach, Julien Boutter, Larry Stefanki, Chris Woodruff, Jill Craybas, Sania Mirza, Mike Leach, Maggie Maleeva, Guillermo Canas, Guillermo Coria, Donald Young, Dick Stockton, Johan Kriek, Milan Srejber, Zina Garrison, Slyvia Hanika, Karin Knapp, Laura Granville, Kei Nishikori, Scott Davis, Paul Goldstein, Alberto Martin, Nicolas Kiefer, Joachim Johansson, Jonathan Stark, Jakob Hlasek, Jeff Tarango, Amanda Coetzer, Andres Gomez, Richey Reneberg, Francisco Clavet, Radek Stepanek, Miloslav Mecir, Jose-Luis Clerc, Colin Dibley, Mikael Pernfors, Martin Mulligan,  Robbie Weiss,  Hugo Chapacu, Victor Pecci, Charlie Bricker, Greg Rusedski, Robin Finn, Kimiko Date, David Nalbandian, Goran Ivanisevic, Mikhail Youzhny, Nicole Pratt, Bryanne Stewart, Novak Djokovic, Rennae Stubbs, Corina Morariu, Marc Rosset, Kenneth Carlsen, Kimiko Date, Ryan Harrison, Richard Gasquet, Jimmy Arias, Jim Leohr, Felix Mantilla, Cedric Pioline, Annabel Croft, Brooke Shields, Jaime Yzaga, Slobodan Zivojinovic, Alberto Mancini, Peter McNamara, Andrei Chesnokov, Fabrice Santoro, Bud Collins, Mardy Fish, Sebastien Grosjean, Donald Dell, Petr Kuczak, Magnus Norman, Hicham Arazi, Nduka Odizor, Lori McNeil, Horst Skoff, Karolina Sprem, Ros Fairbank, Linda Siegel, Chris Lewis, Kevin Curren, Thierry Tulasne, Guy Forget, Fred Tupper, Jaime Fillol, Belus Prajoux, Ricardo Cano, Georges Goven, Ray Moore, Charlie Pasarell, Paul Annacone, Tomas Smid, Dmitry Tursunov, Elena Dementieva, Arnaud DiPasquale, Carl Uwe Steeb, Bill Scanlon, Jose Higueras, Jay Berger, Jana Novotna, Bill Dwyre, Lisa Dillman, Sean Sorensen, Paul McNamee, Jiri Novak, Benjamin Becker, Ion Tiriac, Neil Amdur, Tim Gullikson, Jan-Michael Gambill, Taylor Dent, Bryan Shelton, Vijay Amritraj, Martin Verkerk, Brian Gottfried, Carlos Moya, Jacco Eltingh, Adriano Panatta, John Feinstein, Aaron Krickstein, Wilhelm Bungert, Derrick Rostagno, Torben Ulrich, Daniel Nestor, Ray Ruffels, Cliff Drysdale, James Reilly, Andy Murray, Leander Paes, Alicia Molik, Barry MacKay among others.
New Chapter Press is also the publisher of The Bud Colins History of Tennis by Bud Collins, The Roger Federer Story, Quest for Perfection by Rene Stauffer and Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games by Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli and the soon to be released title The Lennon Prophecy by Joe Niezgoda. Founded in 1987, New Chapter Press is an independent publisher of books and part of the Independent Publishers Group. More information can be found at www.newchapterpressmedia.com

McEnroe Wins Wild, Windy Outback Final Over Martin in Surprise

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SURPRISE, Ariz., November 9 – John McEnroe finally broke his final-round hex against Todd Martin, saving three match points and winning a windy and wild final at the $150,000 Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships at Surprise Sunday at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex in suburban Phoenix. After losing to Martin in three previous finals on the Outback Champions Series circuit, the 49-year-old McEnroe broke through to beat Martin 3-6, 7-6 (3), 11-9 (Champions Tie-breaker) to win $50,000 in prize money and his second career title on the New York-based global tennis circuit for champion tennis players over the age of 30.
Playing in severe desert wind gusts of up to 35 mph that knocked over courtside umbrellas and chairs, McEnroe faced triple match point with Martin serving for the match leading 6-3, 6-5, 40-0. McEnroe, however, clawed his way back to break Martin’s serve and force a second-set tie-breaker. With the second-set tie-breaker tied at 3-3, McEnroe won the final four points, benefitting from a Martin double-fault on the final point, to force the decisive Champions Tie-breaker, a 10-point tie-breaker played in lieu of a third-set. McEnroe took an early 5-1 lead in the Champions Tie-breaker and held on to reach double-match point at 9-7. McEnroe then committed two errors for 9-9, before Martin’s missed forehand gave McEnroe his third match point at 10-9. McEnroe then closed out the match with an ace, using his signature left-handed slice serve out wide on the ad-court to finish the epic match in style.
McEnroe said the gusty conditions were possibly “the windiest conditions I have ever played in” and credited the supportive and spirited Arizona crowd with giving him inspiration to win the title.
“I thought this may have been the best I played all year and I think a lot of that had to do with the crowds,” said McEnroe. “I was able to feed off of their energy all week. I think one of the keys was that I was able to shrug things off today. The older you get, it gets harder to do that but I really did a good job with that today.”
Martin, who earned $30,000 for the runner-up showing, was seeking his fourth career Outback Champions Series title, having won titles previously in Boston in 2006, Newport, R.I. in 2007 and Naples, Fla., earlier this year – all at the expense of McEnroe, his final-round victim in all three events.
“There were some totally bizarre points out there today given the conditions,” said the 38-year-old Martin of the windy conditions. “John has an advantage in those conditions because of the off pace ball that he hits. I’m 50-50 in those conditions and his tendencies give him an advantage. John just controls the ball so well and in those conditions you need to. If I played him in a tight-confined space, he may win every time.”
McEnroe started the match by breaking Martin in the opening game of the match and held for a 2-0 lead. Martin, however, rolled through the next five games to take a 5-2 lead before holding on to win the set 6-3. Martin broke McEnroe to lead 3-2 in the second set, only to have McEnroe break immediately back for 3-3. After holding serve, McEnroe broke Martin again to lead 5-3, but was unable to serve out the set. Martin then held serve to even the second set at 5-5. He then broke McEnroe to serve for the match at 6-5, where McEnroe began his spirited comeback.
McEnroe won his only previous title on the Outback Champions Series earlier this year in Boston, where he defeated Aaron Krickstein in the final.
In the third-place playoff Sunday, Magnus Larsson defeated Anders Jarryd 6-1, 7-6 (0) in an all-Swedish affair.
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 Aaron 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 and third titles of the season in September in Charlotte and in October in Dallas, defeating Martin and Thomas Enqvist in the final, respectively. The final event in 2008 will be held in Dubai, U.A.E., Nov. 19-22.
Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features some of the biggest names in tennis over the last 25 years, including Pete Sampras, 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. More information on the Outback Champions Series 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
Round-Robin Results from Wednesday, November 5
Todd Martin, United States, def. Karel Novacek, Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-1
Anders Jarryd, Sweden, def. Jim Courier, United States, 6-3, 7-6 (2)
Round Robin Results from Thursday, November 6
Magnus Larsson, Sweden, def. Wayne Ferreira, South Africa, 7-6 (9), 6-2
John McEnroe, United States, def. Jimmy Arias, United States, 6-2, 6-2
Round Robin Results from Friday, November 7
Wayne Ferreira, South Africa, def. Karel Novacek, Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-2
Todd Martin, United States, def. Magnus Larsson, Sweden, 7-6 (2), 6-3
John McEnroe, United States, def. Anders Jarryd, Sweden, 6-0, 6-4
Jim Courier, United States, def. Jimmy Arias, United States, 6-3, 6-4
Round Robin Results from Saturday, November 8
Anders Jarryd, Sweden, def. Jimmy Arias, United States, 6-4, 6-4
Jim Courier, United States, def. John McEnroe, United States, 7-6 (7), 4-6, 10-8
Magnus Larsson, Sweden, def. Karel Novacek, Czech Republic, 6-2, 6-1
Todd Martin, United States, def. Wayne Ferreira, South Africa, 3-7, 7-6 (4), 10-8 (Champions Tie-breaker)
Sunday, November 9
Third-Place Match
Magnus Larsson, Sweden, def. Anders Jarryd, Sweden, 6-1, 7-6 (0)
Championship Match
John McEnroe, United States, vs. Todd Martin, United States, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 11-9 (Champions Tie-Breaker)
Round-Robin Group Standings
Group A
Todd Martin 3-0
Magnus Larsson 2-1
Wayne Ferreira 1-2
Karel Novacek 0-3
Group B
John McEnroe 2-1
Anders Jarryd 2-1
Jim Courier 2-1
Jimmy Arias 0-3

McEnroe and Martin To Duel For Surprise Title

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SURPRISE, Ariz., November 8 – John McEnroe will seek his second career singles title on the Outback Champions Series Sunday when he takes on Todd Martin in the final of the Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships at Surprise at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex in suburban Phoenix. Both McEnroe and Martin advanced into the final Saturday by virtue of winning their respective round-robin divisions.
McEnroe advanced into the title match despite losing his final round-robin match Saturday afternoon with Jim Courier 7-6 (7), 4-6, 10-8 (Champions Tie-breaker), but advanced into the championship match as the winner of Round Robin Group B in a three-way tie-breaker. McEnroe, Courier and Anders Jarryd of Sweden (a 6-4, 6-4 winner over Jimmy Arias earlier on Saturday) all finished round-robin play with 2-1 records. McEnroe, however, moved into the final having won five sets over three matches played during the week, while Jarryd and Courier only won four sets. Jarryd, a head-to-head winner over Courier on Wednesday night, will play in Sunday’s third-place match against fellow Swede Magnus Larsson.
Martin edged Wayne Ferreira of South Africa 3-6, 7-6 (4), 10-8 (Champions Tie-breaker) in the final match played Saturday evening to finish play in Round Robin Group A with a 3-0 record. After losing the first set on two service breaks, Martin rolled to a 5-2, two-service-break lead in the second set. Ferreira, however, fought back to square the set at 5-5 and eventually forced a tie-breaker. Martin jumped to a 4-1 lead and held on to win the tie-breaker 7-4. In the decisive Champions Tie-breaker – a 10-point tie-breaker played in lieu of a third set – both players split the first 12 points, before Martin reeled off three straight points to lead 9-6. After Ferreira won two straight points to close the gap to 9-8, Martin hit an unreturnable serve to close out the victory.
Martin will be seeking his fourth Outback Champions Series title having won titles in Boston in 2006, Newport, R.I. in 2007 and Naples, Fla., in 2008. Ironically, all three titles came at the expense of McEnroe in the championship match. McEnroe won his only previous title on the Outback Champions Series earlier this year in Boston, where he defeated Aaron Krickstein in the final.
After splitting the first two sets against McEnroe, Courier jumped out to a 6-3 lead in the Champions Tie-breaker. McEnroe, however, fought back to 8-8, benefitting from a Courier double fault at 8-7. Courier then fired an ace to reach his first match point at 9-8 and won the match on the next point when McEnroe committed an unforced error off of Courier’s return of serve.
Said McEnroe of reaching the final, “It is nice to have made the final to have a chance to win another tournament this year and finish on a high note.”
Larsson finished round-robin play with a 2-1 record by defeating Karel Novacek of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-1 Saturday.
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 Aaron 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 and third titles of the season in September in Charlotte and in October in Dallas, defeating Martin and Thomas Enqvist in the final, respectively. The final event in 2008 will be held in Dubai, U.A.E., Nov. 19-22.
Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features some of the biggest names in tennis over the last 25 years, including Pete Sampras, 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. More information on the Outback Champions Series 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 event is as follows (all times local);
Sunday, November 9
Noon
Anders Jarryd, Sweden, vs. Magnus Larsson, Sweden – Third Place Match
Followed By
John McEnroe, United States, vs. Todd Martin, United States – Championship Match
Round-Robin Results from Wednesday, November 5
Todd Martin, United States, def. Karel Novacek, Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-1
Anders Jarryd, Sweden, def. Jim Courier, United States, 6-3, 7-6 (2)
Round Robin Results from Thursday, November 6
Magnus Larsson, Sweden, def. Wayne Ferreira, South Africa, 7-6 (9), 6-2
John McEnroe, United States, def. Jimmy Arias, United States, 6-2, 6-2
Round Robin Results from Friday, November 7
Wayne Ferreira, South Africa, def. Karel Novacek, Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-2
Todd Martin, United States, def. Magnus Larsson, Sweden, 7-6 (2), 6-3
John McEnroe, United States, def. Anders Jarryd, Sweden, 6-0, 6-4
Jim Courier, United States, def. Jimmy Arias, United States, 6-3, 6-4
Round Robin Results from Saturday, November 8
Anders Jarryd, Sweden, def. Jimmy Arias, United States, 6-4, 6-4
Jim Courier, United States, def. John McEnroe, United States, 7-6 (7), 4-6, 10-8
Magnus Larsson, Sweden, def. Karel Novacek, Czech Republic, 6-2, 6-1
Todd Martin, United States, def. Wayne Ferreira, South Africa, 3-7, 7-6 (4), 10-8 (Champions Tie-breaker)
Round-Robin Group Standings
Group A
Todd Martin 3-0
Magnus Larsson 2-1
Wayne Ferreira 1-2
Karel Novacek 0-3
Group B
John McEnroe 2-1
Anders Jarryd 2-1
Jim Courier 2-1
Jimmy Arias 0-3

McEnroe and Martin Stay Unbeaten In Surprise

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SURPRISE, Ariz., November 7 – John McEnroe and Todd Martin both notched wins Friday to stay undefeated in round-robin play at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships at Surprise at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex. McEnroe won the first eight games of the match in beating Anders Jarryd of Sweden 6-0, 6-4, while Martin gutted out a 7-6 (2), 6-3 win over another Swede, Magnus Larsson. Also registering wins Friday in round-robin play were Wayne Ferreira and Jim Courier – Ferreira beating Karel Novacek 6-1, 6-2 and Courier besting Jimmy Arias 6-3, 6-4. The Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships at Surprise is the seventh of eight events on the Outback Champions Series, the global tennis circuit for tennis players over the age of 30.
With wins in Saturday’s final round-robin matches, both McEnroe and Martin will advance into the Sunday final in the suburbs of Phoenix. Martin will take on Ferreira in the second match of the 5 pm evening session Saturday, while McEnroe will face Courier in the second match of the 2 pm afternoon session. McEnroe and Martin faced off in the final of The Olivier Group Champions Cup in Naples, Fla., the first event on the 2008 Outback Champions Series, earlier this year in February with Martin winning 6-3, 6-1.
Against Jarryd, McEnroe swept through the first set in just over 30 minutes in front of a second consecutive sell-out crowd, breaking his Swedish opponent in the first, third and fifth games of the match. After serving out the first set 6-0, McEnroe opened the second set with another service break and a service hold before Jarryd finally got on the scoreboard in the third game of the second set. Jarryd got back into the match briefly by breaking McEnroe’s serve to tie the score at 3-3 in the second set, but McEnroe broke Jarryd back in the ninth game of the second set, and calmly served out the match the next game.
Playing in his first Outback Champions Series event since the International Tennis Hall of Fame Champions Cup in Newport, R.I. in August, McEnroe called his win over Jarryd “one of the best matches I have played” on the Outback Champions Series.
“My game plan going in was quite simple – I just wanted to be ready and sharp and I came out really moving well,” said McEnroe. “He wasn’t getting a lot of serves in early and I was really consistent with my serve, especially in the first set.”
McEnroe, a keen observer and evaluator of the sport better known nowadays as a TV commentator than as a player, praised the tennis fans of Arizona, the city of Surprise and its new public tennis facility following his win.
“The crowds here are great,” he said. “I’m really glad to hear this is a public facility. It makes me happy to hear we have a facility like this where it is affordable for people to learn the game. I think that’s been the problem with tennis recently – it isn’t affordable for everyone. To have a public facility with so many courts – and it’s reasonable – is really good to hear.”
Jarryd entered the match with McEnroe having upset Courier, the top ranked player on the Outback Champions Series, in Wednesday’s session.
“I had a lot of trouble finding my rhythm today,” said Jarryd. “I kept digging deeper and deeper and just couldn’t find my rhythm. John played really well.”
Martin was relieved after finishing off Larsson, a player whom he struggled against through the years. Entering their match Friday, the series between the two players stood even at 5-5, including a split of their two previous Outback Champions Series meetings. Martin beat Larsson 4-6, 7-5, 10-4 (Champions Tiebreaker) on a lightning fast outdoor hard court in Athens, Greece in 2007, while Larsson beat Martin 6-3, 6-4 indoors in Memphis in 2006. In their ATP tour careers, the players split their eight meetings – Larsson winning the first four matches in 1994 and 1995, including the fifth and decisive match in the United States vs. Sweden Davis Cup semifinal in 1994. Martin won the last four ATP meetings from 1996 to 2001.
“Today it was difficult to play. I’m so glad its over,” said Martin Friday. “He had good groundstrokes on both sides and is so gifted with two hands. It’s incredible. Today I felt this was the best I have played against him. Today I felt in control with him and I served very well. I served and volleyed a lot with Magnus today which I normally do not do. It was a difficult match and Magnus played really well.”
Ferreira and Courier both evened their round-robin records at 1-1 with their victories Friday. Ferreira controlled play from wire to wire against Novacek, using strong first serves and heavy forehands to force numerous errors from Novacek.
“I thought I played well yesterday (against Larsson) but today I was really hitting the ball well,” said Ferreira. “I am feeling very confident. I was also serving and volleying a little bit more today.”
Courier subdued Arias with his blistering serves and crushing forehands in a high-spirited, entertaining match that delighted fans.
“This was a good match for me,” said Courier. “It built my confidence and now I feel very confident going into my next match tomorrow against John. It’s great to play in front of large crowds here in Surprise.”
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 Aaron 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 and third titles of the season in September in Charlotte and in October in Dallas, defeating Martin and Thomas Enqvist in the final, respectively. The final event in 2008 will be held in Dubai, U.A.E., Nov. 19-22.
Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features some of the biggest names in tennis over the last 25 years, including Pete Sampras, 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. More information on the Outback Champions Series 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 event is as follows (all times local);
Saturday, November 8
Noon
Anders Jarryd vs. Jimmy Arias
Followed by
Jim Courier vs. John McEnroe
5:00 pm
Magnus Larsson vs. Karel Novacek
Followed by
Todd Martin vs. Wayne Ferreira
Sunday, November 9
Noon
Third Place Match
Followed By
Championship Match
Round-Robin Results from Wednesday, November 5
Todd Martin, United States, def. Karel Novacek, Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-1
Anders Jarryd, Sweden, def. Jim Courier, United States, 6-3, 7-6 (2)
Round Robin Results from Thursday, November 6
Magnus Larsson, Sweden, def. Wayne Ferreira, South Africa, 7-6 (9), 6-2
John McEnroe, United States, def. Jimmy Arias, United States, 6-2, 6-2
Round Robin Results from Friday, November 7
Wayne Ferreira, South Africa, def. Karel Novacek, Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-2
Todd Martin, United States, def. Magnus Larsson, Sweden, 7-6 (2), 6-3
John McEnroe, United States, def. Anders Jarryd, Sweden, 6-0, 6-4
Jim Courier, United States, def. Jimmy Arias, United States, 6-3, 6-4
Round-Robin Group Standings
Group A
Todd Martin 2-0
Magnus Larsson 1-1
Wayne Ferreira 1-1
Karel Novacek 0-2
Group B
John McEnroe 2-0
Jim Courier 1-1
Anders Jarryd 1-1
Jimmy Arias 0-2

McEnroe Opens With Win Over Arias In Surprise

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SURPRISE, Ariz., November 6 – John McEnroe returned to play on the Outback Champions Series tennis circuit Thursday defeating fellow American Jimmy Arias 6-2, 6-2 in front of a sold-out crowd in his opening round-robin match at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships at Surprise at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex. Magnus Larsson of Sweden also won his opening round-robin match at the event Thursday defeating Wayne Ferreira of South Africa 7-6 (9), 6-2. The Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships at Surprise is a first-year-event on the Outback Champions Series, the global tennis circuit for tennis players over the age of 30.
Playing in his first Outback Champions Series event since the International Tennis Hall of Fame Champions Cup in Newport, R.I. in August, McEnroe had little trouble with Arias, playing a near flawless match. McEnroe broke his former Davis Cup teammate twice in each set and displayed pinpoint serving and deft touch that kept Arias off balance for most of the evening. In their last meeting, Arias chalked up his lone career victory over McEnroe in any capacity, registering one of the biggest upsets in Outback Champions Series history in defeating the three-time Wimbledon champion 7-5, 6-2 in round-robin play in the Cayman Islands in April. Quipped Arias of his win over McEnroe at the time, “I’ve lost to him 735 times. I don’t know the exact count but it’s many times that I’ve lost.”
Larsson’s win over Ferreira can be considered a mild upset as Ferreira has been in top form this year on the Outback Champions Series, earning the No. 2 spot behind Jim Courier in the Stanford Champions Rankings. Larsson, however, has won three of four previous Outback Champions Series meetings with Ferreira, including the final in Memphis in 2006 and in the third-place match in Athens, Greece in 2007. Larsson also won four of six meetings over Ferreira on the ATP tour, including a round of 16 match-up at the 1997 U.S. Open.
Both players held serve throughout the first set to force the tie-breaker, where Ferreira held three set points – leading 6-4 and 8-7. Larsson, however, clinched the set on his third set point when Ferreira barely missed a forehand down-the-line passing shot.
Said Ferreira of the missed passing shot, “I didn’t see it because the board in the net was in the way, so I didn’t have a clue at all. It felt like it was close at least. It’s hard to say.”
Larsson then broke Ferreira to go up 2-1 and again to go up 4-1 in the second set before serving out the match in the seventh game.
Friday’s schedule is highlighted by Larsson taking on Todd Martin in the second match of the 2 pm afternoon session in a battle of players with 1-0 round-robin records. In another match featuring two 1-0 players, McEnroe will face Anders Jarryd in the first match of the 7 pm evening session. The McEnroe-Jarryd match will be played 28 years to the week of perhaps their most famous confrontation at the semifinals of the 1984 Stockholm Open, where on November 4, 1984, McEnroe conducted one of his most famous on-court tirades of his career – highlighted by him saying his oft-mimicked and imitated line to the chair umpire “Answer my question – the question, jerk” – in his 1-6, 7-6, 6-2 victory that featured him losing 15 points in a row at one stretch in the first set and overcoming a point and game penalty in the second set.
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 Aaron 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 and third titles of the season in September in Charlotte and in October in Dallas, defeating Martin and Thomas Enqvist in the final, respectively. The final event in 2008 will be held in Dubai, U.A.E., Nov. 19-22.
Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features some of the biggest names in tennis over the last 25 years, including Pete Sampras, 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. More information on the Outback Champions Series 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 event is as follows (all times local);
Friday, November 7
2:00 pm
Wayne Ferreira vs. Karel Novacek
Followed by
Todd Martin vs. Magnus Larsson
7:00 pm
John McEnroe vs. Anders Jarryd
Followed by
Jim Courier vs. Jimmy Arias
Saturday, November 8
Noon
Anders Jarryd vs. Jimmy Arias
Followed by
Jim Courier vs. John McEnroe
5:00 pm
Magnus Larsson vs. Karel Novacek
Followed by
Todd Martin vs. Wayne Ferreira
Sunday, November 9
Noon
Third Place Match
Followed By
Championship Match
Round-Robin Results from Wednesday, November 5
Todd Martin, United States, def. Karel Novacek, Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-1
Anders Jarryd, Sweden, def. Jim Courier, United States, 6-3, 7-6 (2)
Round Robin Results from Thursday, November 6, 2008
Magnus Larsson, Sweden, def. Wayne Ferreira, South Africa, 7-6 (9), 6-2
John McEnroe, United States, def. Jimmy Arias, United States, 6-2, 6-2
Round-Robin Group Standings
Group A
Todd Martin 1-0
Magnus Larsson 1-0
Wayne Ferreira 0-1
Karel Novacek 0-1
Group B
Anders Jarryd 1-0
John McEnroe 1-0
Jimmy Arias 0-1
Jim Courier 0-1

A Surprise In Surprise – Jarryd Upsets Courier In Arizona

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SURPRISE, Ariz., November 5 – Anders Jarryd of Sweden registered a major “surprise” at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships at Surprise at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex, upsetting two-time French and Australian Open champion Jim Courier 6-3, 7-6 (2) Wednesday on the opening night of play. Also on Wednesday, Todd Martin needed less than an hour – and surrendered only two games – in defeating Karel Novacek of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-1. The Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships at Surprise is a first-year-event on the Outback Champions Series, the global tennis circuit for tennis players over the age of 30.
Jarryd, playing in only his second Outback Champions Series event on the year, was the steadier and more consistent player in the cold, blustery conditions to register his first career win against Courier, the clear-cut No. 1 ranked player this year in the Stanford Champions rankings that determine the year-end No. 1 player on the Outback Champions Series. Jarryd, ranked No. 5 in the world in 1985, broke Courier’s serve in the sixth game of the first set to go up 4-2 and held serve twice to close out the first set 6-3. Jarryd then broke in the ninth game of the second set and served for the match at 5-4 before Courier cracked four forehand returns to break serve to even the set at 5-5. After both players held serve, Jarryd then ran out the tie-breaker 7-2 as Courier double-faulted on the final point to lose the match.
“At the beginning, he had some chances but he just kept holding serve,” said Jarryd, who had been training in Arizona since Saturday. “For me, not making errors and the break at 4-2 in the first set was big. He was having trouble with the wind at 2-3. I’m usually a lousy wind player. The extra days I have been here have especially helped adjust with the time difference.”
In their two previous meetings on the Outback Champions Series, Courier beat Jarryd 6-2, 7-5 earlier this year on clay in Naples, Fla., and by a 6-4, 6-3 margin also on clay in Houston in 2006. During their ATP careers, Courier won all three meetings.
Novacek was not able to get into any sort of rhythm against Martin, making numerous unforced errors while enduring Martin’s strong service game. The Czech standout, a U.S. Open semifinalist in 1994, was so frustrated with his game that he was given two code violations for racquet abuse in the second set.
Four-time U.S. Open champion John McEnroe will play his opening match at the event Thursday night against fellow American Jimmy Arias. McEnroe is competing in his first Outback Champions Series event since he last competed in Newport, R.I. in August. Also on Thursday’s schedule will be Wayne Ferreira of South Africa taking on Magnus Larsson of Sweden. Jarryd and Martin will attempt to increase their round-robin records to 2-0 on Friday with matches against Magnus Larsson and McEnroe, respectively.
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 Aaron 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 and third titles of the season in September in Charlotte and in October in Dallas, defeating Martin and Thomas Enqvist in the final, respectively. The final event in 2008 will be held in Dubai, U.A.E., Nov. 19-22.
Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features some of the biggest names in tennis over the last 25 years, including Pete Sampras, 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. More information on the Outback Champions Series 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 event is as follows;
Thursday, November 6
6:30 pm
Magnus Larsson vs. Wayne Ferreira
Followed by
John McEnroe vs. Jimmy Arias
Friday, November 7
2:00 pm
Wayne Ferreira vs. Karel Novacek
Followed by
Todd Martin vs. Magnus Larsson
7:00 pm
John McEnroe vs. Anders Jarryd
Followed by
Jim Courier vs. Jimmy Arias
Saturday, November 8
Noon
Anders Jarryd vs. Jimmy Arias
Followed by
Jim Courier vs. John McEnroe
5:00 pm
Magnus Larsson vs. Karel Novacek
Followed by
Todd Martin vs. Wayne Ferreira
Sunday, November 9
Noon
Third Place Match
Followed By
Championship Match
Round-Robin Results from Wednesday, November 5
Todd Martin, United States, def. Karel Novacek, Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-1
Anders Jarryd, Sweden, def. Jim Courier, United States, 6-3, 7-6 (2)
Round-Robin Group Standings
Group A
Todd Martin 1-0
Wayne Ferreira 0-0
Magnus Larsson 0-0
Karel Novacek 0-1
Group B
Anders Jarryd 1-0
John McEnroe 0-0
Jimmy Arias 0-0
Jim Courier 0-1

Outback Champions Series Continues This Week In Surprise, Arizona

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NEW YORK, November 4 – The Outback Champions Series, the global tennis circuit for champion tennis players over the age of 30, will continue this week when the seventh of eight events on the 2008 schedule is held in Surprise, Ariz., at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships at Surprise starting Wednesday at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex. The field for the first-year event is highlighted by John McEnroe, who is competing in his first Outback Champions Series event since Newport, R.I., in August, and Jim Courier, currently the No. 1 ranked player in the Stanford Champions Rankings, used to determine the top player for the year on the Outback Champions Series.
McEnroe and Courier are both paired in the event’s round-robin Group B alongside fellow American Jimmy Arias and Anders Jarryd of Sweden. Todd Martin of the United States and Wayne Ferreira of South Africa headline Group A, along with Magnus Larsson of Sweden and Karel Novacek of the Czech Republic. Larsson is a replacement in the field for Mark Philippoussis of Australia, who still has not recovered from knee surgery from earlier this year, while Novacek is playing in place of Mikael Pernfors of Sweden, who is still recovering from an Achilles injury. The event runs through Sunday and will be contested on a hard court.
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 Aaron 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 and third titles of the season in September in Charlotte and in October in Dallas, defeating Martin and Thomas Enqvist in the final, respectively. The final event in 2008 will be held in Dubai, U.A.E., Nov. 19-22.
Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features some of the biggest names in tennis over the last 25 years, including Pete Sampras, 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. More information on the Outback Champions Series 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

Courier Wins Dramatic Stanford Championships Final In Dallas

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DALLAS, October 26 – Jim Courier won his sixth career Outback Champions Series event – and his third title in 2008 – with a dramatic 3-6, 6-4, 10-8 (Champions Tie-Breaker) victory over Thomas Enqvist of Sweden Sunday in the final of the $150,000 Stanford Championships at the Turpin Tennis Center on the campus of Southern Methodist University. Courier won the last four points of the decisive Champions tie-breaker, played in lieu of a third set, and won the match when Enqvist missed a sitter overhead on match point. Courier called the missed overhead, “one of the nuttiest match points I’ve ever been a part of.”
With Courier holding match point leading 9-8 in the Champions tie-breaker, the two players engaged in a cross-court backhand exchange from the baseline before Enqvist blasted a deep backhand down-the-line approach shot that Courier was able to retrieve with a desperation lob. Enqvist, standing right on top of the net, elected not to let the ball bounce and shanked the overhead straight down off the frame of his racquet.
“You could never forecast that he was going to miss that shot,” said Courier of the missed overhead. “If he lets it bounce, he could hit it with the butt cap and make it and I wouldn’t be there. That was as improbable as it gets, but that’s why we play sports. The whacky happens. You just have to be paying attention.”
Enqvist did not blame the sun for the missed shot, just being too relaxed and letting his mind wander before finishing the point.
“I think I was just too casual,” he said. “It’s what you tell an amateur when you play the pro-ams with them, that sometimes they do those mistakes. They take their eye off the ball. I think I did that. It was a changeover (on the next point), and I think I was on my way to the other side (of the net) before I finished the shot. It was a bad time, obviously, to make that kind of mistake.”
Courier won a first-prize paycheck of $54,000 for winning the singles final and all three of his round-robin singles matches during the week. Enqvist earned $32,000 for his runner-up showing and for also winning all three of his round-robin singles matches.
Enqvist was the more aggressive player at the start of the match, dictating play from the baseline and working on Courier’s weaker back-hand wing. He broke Courier’s serve in the eighth game of the first set and served out the 6-3 set victory the next game. In the second set, Courier played with more urgency and aggression and registered one service break to take the second set 6-4 and force the decisive Champions tie-breaker, the 10-point tie-breaker played in lieu of a third set. Courier trailed 8-6 in the decisive tie-breaker, but rallied to win the final four points of the match, executing a backhand passing shot at 8-8 and benefitting from Enqvist’s missed overhead at 9-8 to win the match.
“I was hanging on by my fingernails at 8-6 (in the tiebreak),” said Courier. “I was just hoping for a little bit of luck and sometimes that’s what it takes.”
Courier attributed a change of strategy to a more defensive game plan to counter-attack the hard-hitting of Enqvist to getting him into the match after losing the first set.
“I really had to make a pretty major adjustment on my return serve against him, because he was really bringing the heat much bigger than I’d seen this week,” said Courier. “It was quicker today because it was warm, so I really had to revert back to just blocking everything back and just defending, which is not my nature. I like to play offense, but the nature of tennis is that if you’re ‘A-game’ isn’t working, you have to find another way. And that’s what I did today. I hung in there.I was a little tired coming into today. It’s been a busy week. I felt like I needed to try to find some energy for the finish, which I did. I served pretty well in the tiebreak, and just hung in. And that’s the thing about this sport, you just have to be better than the other guy. I was – just by my finger nails like (Olympic swimmer Michael) Phelps winning by a hundredth of a second. That was kind of the difference out there today, like winning by a hundredth of a second.”
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Said Enqvist of Courier, “He’s probably one of the toughest competitors we have in the game. It’s not the first time he pulled off this kind of victory. He always, always stays in the game, tries to find a way to win it. That’s one of his biggest strengths.”
The victory also earned Courier 800 ranking points to extend his lead in the Stanford Champions Rankings that determine the year-end champion on the Outback Champions Series circuit, the global tennis circuit for champion tennis players over the age of 30. For the first time in 2008, the year-end No. 1 on the Stanford Champions Rankings earns a $100,000 bonus. Courier now leads in the rankings with 3800 points, followed by John McEnroe and Wayne Ferreira with 1800 points and Aaron Krickstein with 1650 points. Enqvist earned 600 points to move into the No. 6 ranking position.
Enqvist, 34, was competing in his first Outback Champions Series final in only his second career event on the global champions’ tennis circuit. The 1999 Australian Open finalist and former world No. 4 was, coincidentally, the last player Courier played on the ATP circuit, handing the two-time French and Australian Open a second-round defeat at the 2000 Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne, Fla. – Courier’s final ATP singles match. The championship match in Dallas was the first Outback Champions Series meeting between the two players. Courier won six of eight meetings on the ATP tour.
Courier, 38, was appearing in his ninth career Outback Champions Series final and his fourth final for the 2008 season. Courier won events earlier this year in Grand Cayman in April and Charlotte in September while he lost to Pat Cash in the final in Newport in August.
In Sunday’s third place match, Krickstein defeated Ferreira 6-2, 6-4.
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 two events on the 2008 Outback Champions Series calendar are 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
Results for the week at the Stanford Championships
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, back injury)
Results From Sunday, October 26
Third-Place Play-off
Aaron Krickstein, United States, def. Wayne Ferreira, South Africa, 6-2, 6-4.
Championship Match
Jim Courier, United States, def. Thomas Enqvist, Sweden, 3-6, 6-4, 10-8 (Champions Tie-breaker)
Round-Robin Group Standings
Group A
Jim Courier 3-0
Wayne Ferreira 2-1
Karel Novacek 1-2
Justin Gimelstob 0-2
Group B
Thomas Enqvist 3-0
Aaron Krickstein 2-1
Todd Martin 1-2
Jimmy Arias 0-3