19 March, 2007
Martin, Wilander and Cash join Sampras and McEnroe in Boston field
InsideOut Sports & Entertainment today announced that Todd Martin, Mats Wilander, Pat Cash, Jimmy Arias and Petr Korda have joined the field of eight tennis legends at Champions Cup Boston to be played May 2-6 at Agganis Arena in Boston. These five tennis standouts join previously announced players Pete Sampras, John McEnroe and Jim Courier to round out the field in the second tournament of the 2007 Outback Champions Series. Champions Cup Boston will mark the first time Sampras will play in a tournament since retiring from the ATP Tour after winning the 2002 U.S. Open.
The 2007 Champions Cup Boston session schedule was also released (attached). Tickets start at just $15 and are available at (866) 448-7849, (617) 931Š2000 or www.championsseriestennis.com. Martin won the Boston event last year, defeating John McEnroe 6-3, 4-6, 10-8 in the championship match.
"This year's already impressive field has been made even more competitive with the addition of Martin, Wilander, Cash, Arias and Korda," said Jon Venison co-founder of InsideOut Sports & Entertainment and The Outback Champions Series. "With Pete Sampras' return to tournament play alongside Jim Courier, John McEnroe and these five legends, Boston will be one of the most exciting stops on the 2007 Outback Champions Series."
All Outback Champions Series events feature eight-man round-robin match formats with the winner of each four-player division meeting in the title match while second-place finishers in each division play in the third-place match. Each event features $142,000 in prize money with an undefeated winner taking home $50,000 as well as Outback Champions Series ranking points that will determine a year-end champion.
To be eligible to compete in the Outback Champions Series, players must have reached at least a Grand Slam singles final, been ranked in the top five in the world or played singles on a championship Davis Cup team.
Martin, 36, attained a career-high ranking of No. 4 and reached the menÕs singles final at the 1994 Australian Open and the U.S. Open in 1999. He represented the United States in Davis Cup play for nine years, helping the team to clinch the title in 1995. Martin won eight singles and five doubles titles during his professional career. Martin finished third in overall points in the inaugural year of the Outback Champions Series in 2006, led by a first place finish in Boston.
In 2006, Wilander finished in 10th place in the overall point standings on the Outback Champions Series. During his ATP career, the Swede won 33 singles titles, including seven Grand Slam tournament titles (three Australian Opens, three French Opens and one US Open title).
Cash, 41, joined the illustrious list of Australian players to win Wimbledon when he defeated Ivan Lendl to win the title in 1987. Cash was a singles finalist at the Australian Open in 1987 and 1988, a semifinalist at the US Open in 1984 and led Australia to victory in the Davis Cup in 1983 and 1986. He won seven career ATP singles titles and achieved a career high singles ranking of No. 4 in 1988.
Arias, 42, turned pro at age 16 and reached a career-high ranking of No. 5 in April 1984. He enjoyed his best year in 1983 with four singles titles, including the U.S. Clay Court Championships and the Italian Open. That same year, at age 19, he reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open. Arias holds five career titles, all in singles.
Korda, 39, reached a career-high ranking of No. 2 and was involved in four Grand Slam finals, two in singles and two in doubles. Korda is best known for winning the Australian Open in 1998 over Marcelo Rios 6-2, 6-2, 6-2. In his first Grand Slam final, Korda was defeated in straight sets by defending champion Jim Courier at the 1992 French Open. Before leaving the ATP tour in 1998, Korda won 10 singles titles and 10 doubles titles.
Champions Cup Boston Schedule of Play (Two Matches Per Session):
Wednesday, May 2 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, May 3 7:00 p.m.
Friday, May 4 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 5 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 6 2:30 p.m.