September 24, 2007
Sampras edges Courier; exhibition raises $16,000
By James Beck
Pete Sampras and Jim Courier didn't quite look like members of the over-the-hill gang Sunday afternoon at the North Charleston Coliseum. They appeared to be as fit as in their prime, and a crowd of about 2,500 showed its appreciation.
Courier, the television analyst, was left talking to himself by a couple of Sampras' running forehands down the line. And then when Sampras cranked up his serve, Courier couldn't talk his way out of trouble.
Grand Slam title record-holder Sampras turned up the heat after dropping a first-set tiebreaker and left town right after the Legends of Tennis match and on-court ceremonies ended with a 6-7 (5), 6-2, 10-6 victory over his longtime buddy.
The real winners of the exhibition, other than the crowd, was the MUSC Children's Hospital that will receive a $16,000 donation --- $8,000 from contributions received Sunday and a matching amount from former tennis pro Bill Przybysz's Miracle Match Foundation.
"It's good to have fun ... I still love to play," Sampras told the crowd.
After leaving the ATP Tour following his 2002 U.S. Open success that saw him capture 14 Grand Slam crowns, Sampras left tennis until he came out of retirement to join Courier's Champions Tour earlier this year. "I missed tennis," Sampras said.
"We were playing a good level of tennis," Courier said. "Pete was just serving beautifully the second set."
Sampras dominated the third-set match tiebreaker by winning seven of his eight service points. "Pete has just such great rhythm on his serve," said Courier, 37, whose InsideOut Sports and Entertainment group sponsored the Miracle Match Tour event.
Courier, who won a pair of French Opens and two Australian Opens, appeared to have fun throughout the match as he repeatedly communicated with the audience.
Cremins/Courier win
In the celebrity doubles match that preceded the Sampras-Courier main event, College of Charleston men's basketball coach Bobby Cremins teamed up with Courier for a 6-2 victory over Sampras and Gov. Mark Sanford.
The highlight of the preliminary match came two games from the end when Gov. Sanford motioned for his teenaged son, Marshall, to take his place as Sampras' partner. Marshall immediately flashed the skills of a high school tennis player as the Columbia Heathwood Hall sophomore drove a forehand down the line past Courier. But Courier and Cremins managed to close out the match in the next game.
September 27, 2007
Sampras takes down Courier in Miracle Match at Coliseum
By: Michael Ulmer
The North Charleston Coliseum had an air of greatness surrounding it Sept. 23. Pete Sampras and Jim Courier, two legends of tennis, came to Charleston through the Miracle Match Foundation tennis tour to help raise funds for the MUSC Children's Hospital.
Founded by leukemia survivor Bill Prybysz, the foundation was formed to provide grants for organizations involved with leukemia research and to help those individuals suffering from the disease.
Not only did Sampras and Courier battle it out in an amazing match, but C of C basketball coach Bobby Cremins and Gov. Mark Sanford also got in on the fun, playing a doubles match with the two legends. Cremins was paired with Courier and Sanford was paired with Sampras. Governor Sanford was hoping Cremins and Courier would take it easy on him.
"I hope not to be a pinata in this process. I never imagined I would be playing with these guys, not in my wildest dream or nightmare. You don't beat a guy like Jim Courier," Sanford said. "The bottom line is that we are all out here trying to support an incredibly important thing, both through the Miracle Match network and the children's hospital. So there will be a little bit of humble pie and public humiliation on my part, but it's for a very, very important cause."
Coach Cremins saw the match as a dream come true.
"Growing up in the Bronx I was not into golf or tennis, but after college I really got into them. I do play a lot of tennis, and I watch a lot of it," Cremins said. "I'll always remember the Borg-Connors-McEnroe days and being able to be around these guys [Sampras and Courier] is going to be something. I'm a little nervous, but hopefully we'll have some fun. It's for a great cause, and this city has been great for me and being able to participate in this is really something."
Sampras has been away from the game for a while, but he was invited by Courier and decided to come out.
"I felt that I have been hitting the ball pretty well over the past year or so," Sampras said. "I can still serve and volley quite well, but movement and not being quite as sharp is something that comes with age, but I still have fun with it. I'm not anywhere near where I used to be, but I still play okay."
Despite the return, Sampras seems to be enjoying retirement and spending time with his son.
"My five-year-old is loving tennis and having a great time with it, but he doesn't listen to me really," Sampras said. "I'm telling him a few things with his technique and he wants me to go away, and I think that is a sign of things to come."
Courier, who lost the match to Sampras, thought that a good level of tennis was played. "Pete played at a very high level, which is no surprise. My serve kept me in there for the first set and then in the second set, I just missed a lot of first serves. He wasn't missing serves; he was serving beautifully in the second set. I just couldn't get a beat on it," Courier said. "Then in the breaker, it was a roll of the dice and his roll just landed a little better than mine. The thing we all fight with age is movement. You don't forget how to hit the ball; you don't lose that as long as you practice. Both of us are trim and in our playing weight, so movement isn't a issue, but maybe three or four years down the road we'll have to think about that."
After the match, Prybysz gave a short speech. "It showed that Sampras and Courier are true champions on and off the court," he said.
September 23, 2007
Pete Sampras pleases loyal fans during a shootout in Frisco
By Robert James Hughes
Pete Sampras serves against Robert Ginepri. Below: Sampras with Nancy Jeffert, president and co-founder of the Maureen Connlloy Brinker Tennis Foundation.
Frisco's Deja Blue Arena Saturday hosted the world's most successful men's tennis player, Pete Sampras, who played an exhibition match against current Association of Tennis Professionals' ATP Tour player Robert Ginepri. The match headlined the third annual American Tennis Shootout.
In addition to giving a sold-out arena crowd the chance to see Sampras' legendary serve the event was a benefit, raising money for the Maureen Connlloy Brinker Tennis Foundation. It also will benefit the National Junior Tennis League.
Sampras retired at the top of the game more than five years ago by winning a record 14th Grand Slam event, the 2002 U.S. Open.