|
|
|
|
Frankfurt stop on Delta Tour |
FRANKFURT, GERMANY
DELTA TOUR OF CHAMPIONS
SURFACE – INDOOR GREENSET
No.1 COURIER CRASHES TO JARRYD
The last time Jim Courier shook hands with an opponent on the Delta Tour of Champions, he had just beaten Thomas Muster at the Royal Albert Hall in London last December to seal victory at the season-ending Masters.
He repeated the tradition following his opening round-robin match in Frankfurt on Thursday, but it was a very different feeling for the American who topped the Stanford Financial Champions Tour Rankings last year.
Jarryd had won their high-quality, fiercely contested match on two tie-break sets, 7-6 (5), 7-6(4). “It was quite competitive, wasn’t it?” Courier said afterwards.
“The points were hard fought, there were lots of chances on both sides and it was tough because Anders was all over my serve. Not too many guys have been able to get at my serve in recent tournaments. He returned beautifully and took his chances. I’m a little bit frustrated because I had so many chances and I didn’t pull them off.”
It means that Courier will have his work cut out to come through a brutal Group B, with matches against Goran Ivanisevic and Cedric Pioline still to come. Courier, however, remains undaunted.
“I was very much looking forward to this tournament when I saw my draw because I knew that I would have three tough matches with Anders, Pioline and Ivanisevic,” he said.
“I saw how well Anders played indoors on this exact surface at the Albert Hall in December so I knew that he was going to be the next most difficult opponent to Goran. It wasn’t ideal meeting Anders straight out of the blocks but I do love the competition and I do want it to push me. It certainly did that tonight.”
For Jarryd, who earned plaudits for the way he stood in for Sergi Bruguera and reached the semifinals in London, it was a real treat.
“It was a good match and I played really well,” said Jarryd.
“I struggled at the start but came back strong and was really happy with my performance. For me it’s just great to play. To be able to play these guys is a lot of fun and to win is an extra bonus. Maybe I don’t hit my shots as well as 15 years ago, but I’m not too bad!”
MCENROE BREEZES BUT GORAN SQUANDERS MATCH POINTS AND FALLS
John McEnroe breezed through his opening round-robin match against Henri Leconte 6-3, 6-1 and then paid tribute to the new faces on the Delta Tour of Champions.
McEnroe has been a regular on the Delta Tour since retiring from professional tennis in 1992, and he has noticed a huge improvement in the quality of play.
“The condition of these guys on the Champions tour, like Courier and Jarryd, is way better than it used to be years ago,” said McEnroe, who also vowed to play more events himself this year in order to challenge them.
“I would like to play between six and eight events this year, and the more I play the better I do,” he said.
He will be helped by the fact that the Tour has expanded to 12 events in 2005, with new tournaments added in Doha, Hong Kong, Croatia and Germany.
Goran Ivanisevic, by contrast, cut a rueful figure on day one.
The Croatian, playing his first full year on the Delta Tour of Champions, seemed to be cruising when he held two set points in the first set tie-break of his match against Cedric Pioline.
But, the Frenchman fought them off, took the tie-break 8-6, and then raced away with the second set 6-1.
The players in each group will face off in a round-robin format, and the top player from each group will contest Sunday’s final. Those who finish second in each group will play off for third and fourth places respectively.
Matches are contested over the best of three sets, with the deciding set taking the form of a Champions’ Tie-break. The first player to reach 10 points in the Champions’ Tie-break is the winner. If the score is level at 9-all, a two-point advantage is required.
Players will compete for points throughout the year to qualify for The Masters at the Royal Albert Hall in London, November 29 – December 4. The top ten players in the Stanford Financial Champions Tour Rankings after all events are complete will qualify automatically. The field in London will increase to 12 with the addition of two wild cards.
To be eligible to compete on the Delta Tour of Champions, players must have been either a World No.1 during their competitive playing careers, a Grand Slam singles finalist, or a singles player in a victorious Davis Cup team, and no longer active on the ATP tour. Each event can also invite two players of its choice to take wild cards.
Results for Thursday 24th February, 2005
John McEnroe d. Henri Leconte 6-3, 6-1
Anders Jarryd d. Jim Courier 7-6(5), 7-6(4)
Cedric Pioline d. Goran Ivanisevic 7-6(6), 6-1
Mikael Pernfors d. Pat Cash 6-4, 6-7(5), 10-8 (on a Champions’ Tie-Break)
Current Standings
Group A
Matches Won/Lost (sets won/lost)
John McEnroe 1-0 (2-0)
Mikael Pernfors 1-0 (2-0)
Henri Leconte 0-1 (0-2)
Pat Cash 0-1 (0-2)
Group B
Cedric Pioline 1-0 (2-0)
Anders Jarryd 1-0 (2-0)
Jim Courier 0-1 (0-2)
Goran Ivanisevic 0-1 (0-2)
Match Schedule:
Friday, February 25
Starting at 6pm (CET)
Jim Courier vs. Cedric Pioline
John McEnroe vs. Mikael Pernfors
Goran Ivanisevic vs. Anders Jarryd
Pat Cash vs. Henri Leconte
DELTA TOUR OF CHAMPIONS 2005 CALENDAR
February 24-27 Frankfurt, Germany (Deichmann Champions Trophy)
April 8-11 Doha, Qatar * (Qtel ATP Champions)
April 14-17 Hong Kong, China * (Chevalier ATP Champions)
May 6-10 Rome, Italy (Delta Tour of Champions Rome)
June 15-18 Novi, Croatia (Croatian Classics)
August 2-6 Algarve, Portugal (Vale do Lobo Grand Champions Millennium BCP
August 9-13 Graz, Austria (S-Tennis Masters)
September 15-18 Paris, France (Trophee Jean Luc Lagardere)
October 13-16 Eindhoven, Holland (Alex Tennis Classics)
October 20-23 Monte Carlo, Monaco
November 17-20 Germany 2
Nov 29 – Dec 4 THE CHAMPIONS MASTERS (London, England)
* Doha and Hong Kong are part of the worldwide Champions Tour and count in the Stanford Financial Champions Tour Rankings, but are not officially sanctioned by the Delta Tour of Champions (which specifically covers European events). |
|
|
|
