26 October 2011
Legends arrive in Sichuan province to contest the 2011 Chengdu Open
Asia's only ATP Champions Tour Event hosts star-studded field
Today the third annual Chengdu Open --- An ATP Champions Tour Event welcomed six of the eight storied players who will contest the October 27-30 tournament at the Sichuan International Tennis Center. Headlined by Pete Sampras (USA), 14-time Grand Slam singles Champion, and the top three ranked players on the ATP Champions Tour, Mark Philippoussis (AUS), Carlos Moya (ESP) and Thomas Enqvist (SWE), the 2011 Chengdu Open will also feature Marat Safin's (RUS) debut on the ATP Champions Tour, as well as fan-favorites Paradorn Srichaphan (THA), Younes El Aynaoui (MAR) and Wayne Ferreira (RSA). Together, the legends own 154 ATP Tour singles titles and over $100 million in career prize earnings.
Vice President of the Chinese Tennis Association and the Deputy Director of the General Tennis Administration Center, Miss Li Lin Wei highlighted: "The 2011 Chengdu Open --- An ATP Champions Tour Event caps off a spectacular Golden October of tennis in China after the hosting of the China Open in Beijing, and the ATP Masters Series 1000 in Shanghai. The hosting of the 2011 Chengdu Open --- An ATP Champions Tour Event will once again bring to Western China, and indeed the nation, a wave of tennis excitement, and we sincerely hope that all players and officials will enjoy a wonderful week in Chengdu."
Sampras, who returns to Chengdu after creating a media storm with his participation in last year's tournament, mentioned that how last year's experience drew him back to Chengdu to compete again in 2011. "The stadium was fantastic, the Intercontinental we have here is a beautiful hotel, and the combination of everything is the reason why I wanted to come back, so I'm happy to be here and hopefully I will play some decent tennis. This is a well-run event from all the folks at IMG."
The player experience at the Chengdu Open also has Enqvist, the 2009 Chengdu Open Champion who finished third here in 2010, delighted to be coming back for more. "It's a very strong field. I'm very happy to be back three times, and I'm really looking forward to playing this week here against all these great players."
Competition will be fierce, with the top spot on the South African Airways ATP Champions Tour Rankings on the line. Moya, who has won the last two ATP Champions Tour Events in a row, enters the Chengdu Open looking to dethrone Mark Philippoussis, who won the first three events of 2011. "I'm just 100 points away from him," Moya said. "This is my first year on the Tour, and it would be great for me to end it as No. 1, but there are many great players in every tournament. Hopefully I can make it --- it will be tough." Moya and Philippoussis will square off on the first day of play, Thursday October 27.
Paradorn Srichaphan, whose career-high ranking of World No. 9 made him the highest ever ranked men's singles player from Asia, returns to Chengdu after making his ATP Champions Tour debut in Chengdu last year. Ferreira, who competed in a record 56 consecutive Grand Slams on the ATP Tour, will be making his first appearance in Chengdu, as will El Aynaoui, who debuted on the ATP Champions Tour in London in 2009 by posting wins over Mark Philippoussis and the 2010 Chengdu Open Champion, Greg Rusedski.
Director General of the Chengdu Sports Bureau, Qin Wenlin, addressed the players and media: "We are so pleased that this premier international tennis tournament is returning to our wonderful city once again, and we expect that in its third edition the tournament will be a success in all aspects."
With the media and fans aglow with the legendary tennis players in town, Grand Slam Champions Moya and Sampras were asked what advice they would give to Li Na, who has struggled ever since winning her first Grand Slam at Roland Garros this year. Sampras immediately quipped, "I never won the French Open, so I'm going to let Carlos take that." After much laughter, Sampras, who at his induction to the Tennis Hall of Fame had described the two years after he won his first Grand Slam as "going by in a fog", continued on in a more serious vein: "I will say for Li Na there's a lot of pressure to win after winning the French, a popular woman in this country, dealing with the fans, the media, the sponsors, it's a lot to take on. Just keep working hard, and hopefully she'll find some form --- but we've all experienced it, as far as that first major: when you win it, the aftermath can be a little overwhelming. She'll be fine, she's a great player."
With the appetite of Chinese tennis fans whetted by a golden month of tennis, the Chengdu Open will serve up tantalizing match-ups, played over four days with the eight players divided into two round robin groups of four players. The first group features Safin, Ferreria, Sampras and El Aynaoui; the second group consists of Enqvist, Moya, Philippoussis and Srichaphan, pitting the top three ATP Champions Tour players against one another during round robin play. The winner in each group will advance to the final on Sunday, while the second-place finishers in each group will play-off for third place. Matches are best-of-three sets, with the deciding set played as a Champions' tiebreak, with the winner being the first to reach 10 points with at least a two-point margin.
The event will be broadcast on CCTV 5 and is part of the historic CCTV-IMG Sports Management Company venture which is a 20-year exclusive joint venture formed by IMG Worldwide, Inc., the global sports and entertainment company, and China Central Television (CCTV), the world's largest television broadcaster. For information on how to order tickets online or by phone, visit the Chengdu Open website at: http://chengduchampions.com/2011/tickets.php.