October 15, 2010
Sampras Drawn To Face Srichaphan In Chengdu
Pete Sampras has been drawn into the same round-robin group as ATP Champions Tour debutant Paradorn Srichaphan ahead of the Chengdu Open in China, which starts on Thursday.
Sampras, who won seven Wimbledon titles and 14 Grand Slam tournaments in a glittering career, will be making his first trip to China and has never previously played against Srichaphan. He will also face the 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash and French left-hander Guy Forget in the group stages.
In Group B, former World No.1's Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Pat Rafter will take on the 1991 Wimbledon champion Michael Stich and the current No.1 player in the South African Airways ATP Champions Tour Rankings --- Thomas Enqvist.
Sampras is looking forward to the challenge of playing Srichaphan, and possibly Thomas Enqvist if the Swede makes it out of Group B.
"The competition is exciting with this level of tennis," said Sampras.
"We're still very competitive and I think we're all looking forward to it. Enqvist is still very fit and he is a little bit younger than the rest of us. He is very strong and I've played him a few times in my career and he plays very well, and hits the ball well. Srichaphan has just retired so he is going to be very tough. I'm really looking forward to it."
Enqvist, the current South African Airways Rankings Leader and holder of a formidable 25-1 win/loss record since joining the ATP Champions Tour, is relishing the opportunity to defend his Chengdu title, especially against one of the game's all-time greats.
"I am really looking forward to coming back to Chengdu and trying to defend my title," he said. "I had a fantastic time there last year and I'm looking forward to playing Pete Sampras because he's such a great player. I hope I get to see the giant pandas again as well!"
October 17, 2010
ATP tennis champions
By Dan Garvey
The ATP Champions tennis tournament returns to Chengdu from October 21 to 24. Last year, Chengdu tennis fans saw two living legends of the game in Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe.
This time around, the tournament is headlined by the incomparable Pete Sampras, who, by his 2002 retirement, had amassed a record total of 14 Grand Slam titles (7 Wimbledon, 5 U.S. Open, 2 Australia Open) and had spent 286 weeks ranked as the world's No. 1 tennis player. Joining the 39-year-old Sampras at the Sichuan International Tennis Center will be seven other champions of the past:
Pat Cash, 45, of Australia. Former world No. 4, Wimbledon Champion (1987), two-time Australian Open finalist and a member of winning Davis Cup teams in 1983 and 1986. Cash was a crowd favourite in Chengdu last year with his mix of fearless serve volley tennis and light-hearted theatrics.
Thomas Enqvist, 36, of Sweden. Formerly ranked world No. 4, and Australian Open finalist, Enqvist has been the form player on the Champions Tour over the last two seasons and is the defending champion and player to beat in Chengdu.
Guy Forget, 45, of France. Former world No. 2, and a member of 2 French Davis Cup champion teams. The stylish left-hander is one of very few players to have a winning head-to-head record with Sampras.
Yevgeny Kafelnikov, 36, of Russia. Former world No. 1(singles and doubles) and Australian and French Open champion. Kafelnikov was a semi-finalist in Chengdu in 2009 and holds the distinction of being the last (probably last ever) player to win both the singles and doubles titles at a grand slam tournament.
Patrick Rafter, 38, of Australia. Former world No. 1, two-time U.S. Open champion (1997/8), two-time Wimbledon finalist. Rafter was, along with Sampras, one of the last top players to employ the serve-volley style. Renowned by his peers for his sportsmanship, Rafter has been a generous contributor to charitable causes since his retirement from competitive tennis.
Paradorn Srichaphan, 31, of Thailand. Former world No. 9. Srichaphan will be forever remembered for blasting Andre Agassi off Wimbledon's center court in 2002, but he unfortunately had to retire from the ATP tour prematurely due to a serious motorcycle accident.
Michael Stich, 41, of Germany. Former world No. 2, Wimbledon champion (1991) and finalist in the French and U.S. Opens. A prodigious talent in the early 1990s, Stich was/is widely regarded as having the most beautiful serve in tennis.
The Sichuan International Tennis Centre is regarded by players and spectators alike as being one of the best tennis stadiums in Asia. Don't miss the chance to see these guys up close.
Schedule
Thursday, October 21
Group B: 4.p.m. Enqvist vs Kafelnikov
Group A: 5:30 p.m. Forget vs Srichaphan
Group B: 7p.m. Rafter vs Stich
Group A: 8.30 p.m. Sampras vs Cash.
Friday, October 22
Group B: 4.p.m. Enqvist vs Stich
Group A: 5:30 p.m. Cash vs Srichaphan
Group B: 7p.m. Rafter vs Kafelnikov
Group A: 8.30 p.m. Sampras vs Forget
Saturday, October 23
Group A: 4.p.m. Sampras vs Srichaphan
Group B: 5:30 p.m. Stich vs Kafelnikov
Group B: 7p.m. Rafter vs Enqvist
Group A: 8.30 p.m. Forget vs Cash
Sunday, October 24
Place 3: 12.30 p.m. Group A 2nd vs Group B 2nd
Final: 2 p.m. Group A 1st vs Group B 1st