October 20, 2012
Sampras notches first title of the season at Champions Challenge in Detroit
Pete Sampras rebounded nicely from a tough loss in Chicago and used his powerful service game to capture the Champions Challenge at the Palace of Auburn Hills Thursday night, with an 8-4 triumph over Ivan Lendl in the championship match. It was Sampras' first victory of the season in his second appearance, following his hard-fought loss to John McEnroe in the final of the PowerShares QQQ Challenge in Chicago Wednesday night, as he began defense of his title and top ranking from the 2011 Champions Series.
The 14-time Grand Slam champ earned 400 points for the victory, and now sits in a second place tie with Jim Courier in the 2012 PowerShares Series rankings.
"Ivan was my hero growing up, so I really enjoyed playing him tonight," said Sampras, who hadn't made an appearance in the Motor City since his days playing as a teenager on the amateur circuit. "He still hits the ball well and was very tough out there. Playing in these events is a lot of fun for me, but it's not going to be easy to repeat my title."
In the evening's first semifinal, Lendl rebounded from Wednesday's loss to McEnroe in Chicago by staging his own late rally. With McEnroe holding a 6-5 lead, Lendl forced him to a tiebreaker. Then, facing match point on McEnroe's serve, Lendl reeled off consecutive mini-breaks before finally closing out the match with a forehand volley winner.
In the evening's second semifinal, Sampras fought back from a 4-3 deficit to take the final three games from Jim Courier, to defeat him for the second straight night, this time by a 6-4 score. McEnroe and Courier each earned 100 points in the rankings, and McEnroe remains on top with 700 points.
The 2012 PowerShares Series continues Friday night, October 19 in Boston, Massachusetts when the foursome of McEnroe, Courier, Sampras and Lendl square off once more in the Staples Champions Cup, with the action starting at 7:30 pm at the TD Garden.
| TONIGHT'S SCORES |
||
| Semifinal 1 |
Lendl def. McEnroe |
7-6 (6) |
| Semifinal 2 |
Sampras def. Courier |
6-4 |
| Final |
Sampras def. Lendl |
8-4 |
| UPDATED 2012 POWERSHARES SERIES RANKINGS |
||
| 1. |
McEnroe |
700 |
| 2. |
Courier |
600 |
| Sampras |
600 |
|
| 4. |
Lendl |
300 |
| 5. |
Chang |
100 |
| Martin |
100 |
|
October 19, 2012
Pete Sampras excites crowd at The Palace
By Angelique S. Chengelis
Auburn Hills --- Pete Sampras couldn't take his eyes off the scoreboard at The Palace while it played highlights of his 1993 Wimbledon victory over then-No. 1 Jim Courier.
He stood, raised his right index finger.
And the crowd cheered.
Sampras defeated Courier in the semifinals of the PowerShares Series event Thursday night, the third stop of the 12-city event. He then went on to beat Ivan Lendl in the final, 8-4.
Lendl defeated John McEnroe in the first semifinal. McEnroe, who won Wednesday's match in Chicago, leads the series in points, with Courier and Sampras tied for second.
"I enjoy it," Sampras, 41 and the winner of 14 grand slams, said of returning to the court. "I miss the game, and I certainly had a career that was pretty good, and it's nice to play again. I'm obviously not as sharp as I used to be. Don't move as well, but people respect my game."
"We still hit the ball pretty good, but it's movement. Our backs are stiff. Tennis is a very hard game as you get older, all the stopping and starting, so for the last couple weeks I've been doing a little more stretching making sure my body is good to go. For my game, and my serve it's not like you can wake up one day and serve 130. I have to prepare a little bit for my arm and my back."
The highlight of the three-match night, however, was the appearance of a local high school player.
Courier, trailing 0-30 at the time to Sampras, looked toward the crowd and asked who could return Sampras' serve. He found a willing participant in Alex Najarian, a Birmingham resident and junior on the Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood girls tennis team.
Najarian, using Courier's racket, returned Sampras' soft serve, then took control of the point, moving him side to side before winning the point on an overhead.
"That was awesome," a beaming Najarian said. "That was legendary. I was nervous, and then I played around with angles. He wasn't expecting anything."
Sampras laughed after the final when asked how he felt to be schooled on the point by a high school player.
"I'm OK with it," Sampras said, laughing. "It's not easy for someone sitting there and watching. I'm sure she was a little bit nervous, but she was great."
Sampras, known during his playing years as serious and focused, was engaging with the crowd. One fan kept yelling words of encouragement to Sampras, who turned, pointed his finger at the man and said, "Go Tigers."
"People have some sort of connection with their guy," Sampras said. "When I played my tennis in the '90s, I was serious and stoic, and that's how I had to be. Now there's time for a moment here and there to have fun. You can't do it too much. They don't want a circus. They want to see good tennis, but if there's a lighthearted moment it's still fun."
The series moves to Boston for its fourth event of the tour tonight.
October 19, 2012
Pete Sampras uses big serve to win PowerShares tourney at Palace
By Perry A. Farrell
Four legends responsible for 33 Grand Slam tennis titles and more than 250 singles victories were at the Palace on Thursday night in the PowerShares series.
Detroit was the third stop for Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl and Jim Courier, and Pistol Pete proved too much for the competition, beating Lendl in the final, 8-4, with his booming serve after beating Courier in the semifinals, 6-4.
"It was a lot of fun, and I'd like to thank the Detroit fans for coming out," said Sampras, who still has a big booming serve but not the curly hair he had on his way to winning $43 million on the tour and 14 Grand Slam titles.
"Your mind wants to get you to a shot, but your body sometimes can't get there, so I've worked at getting into better shape. I enjoy being out here with Ivan and Jim. Ivan was a hero of mine growing up, so I enjoy this."
During his one-set match with Courier, Sampras had to face a female teenaged player Courier allowed to play a point. She won.
"That was good for her," said Sampras.
Sampras added a word of encouragement for the Tigers, who had clinched a World Series appearance earlier in the evening.
"I want to congratulate the Tigers and wish them well in the World Series," he said.
Last season, Sampras won the PowerShares series, which is a 12-city event that goes across the country. McEnroe currently leads the series with 700 points, followed by Courier and Sampras with 600 each and Lendl with 300. Last year, Sampras earned a $500,000 bonus for topping the standings.
"I missed playing; I thought I had a pretty good career, and it's fun to be back out playing," said Sampras. "The fans have been appreciative of the tennis. I can't move like I use to, and I've spent time getting in shape and working on my back."
In the other semifinal, McEnroe, the clear crowd favorite, lost to Lendl, 7-6 (8-6).
Showing some levity, McEnroe went through his "You can't be serious" routine on Lendl's first serve, and he freely interacted with the crowd until the match was on the line.
"I was glad to see those fans that came out, but I was disappointed in the way I played," said McEnroe. "He (Lendl) kept me off balance. I wasn't able the respond. I wanted to give the fans better tennis, so I wasn't happy with the way I played."