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**anatmob** · 12-03-2011, 07:07 PM

Two in a row for impressive Philippoussis

Mark Philippoussis made it two wins out of two on the ATP Champions Tour this year, defeating Tim Henman 6-3, 7-6(3) in a high-quality BNP Paribas Zurich Open final.

This was the Australian’s second tournament win of the year, following on from Delray Beach in February, putting him well clear at the top of the rankings.

The match was the proverbial game of two halves. The opening set was a thunderstorm of Philippoussis service winners, the patented “Scud” missiles raining down on Henman at speeds around the 230 km/h mark. The Briton initially had no answer (like Pete Sampras, Goran Ivanisevic and Thomas Muster before him in the group stages), but he found his rhythm on service and return in the second set, without every really threatening to carve out a break.

It went to a tie-break, but once the 1.96m, 93 kg Australian had opened with a mini-break and followed up with two booming services, the battle was over, and the 2,900 fans in the Saalsporthalle showed due appreciation for what had been a fine match.

Prior to the final, the third-place play-off saw Goran Ivanisevic defeat Ivan Lendl 7-6(3), 6-3. The two players are a year off their forties but on different sides, and once the 39-year-old Croat had worn the 51-year-old American down in a first-set tie-break, the rest of the match was one-way traffic. Goran banged down the aces on first and second services, regularly topping 200 km/h, but Ivan never lost the smile which he had had all week here in Zurich.

12-03-2011, 07:07 PM	#30
anatmob Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 598 Senior Member	Two in a row for impressive Philippoussis Mark Philippoussis made it two wins out of two on the ATP Champions Tour this year, defeating Tim Henman 6-3, 7-6(3) in a high-quality BNP Paribas Zurich Open final. This was the Australian’s second tournament win of the year, following on from Delray Beach in February, putting him well clear at the top of the rankings. The match was the proverbial game of two halves. The opening set was a thunderstorm of Philippoussis service winners, the patented “Scud” missiles raining down on Henman at speeds around the 230 km/h mark. The Briton initially had no answer (like Pete Sampras, Goran Ivanisevic and Thomas Muster before him in the group stages), but he found his rhythm on service and return in the second set, without every really threatening to carve out a break. It went to a tie-break, but once the 1.96m, 93 kg Australian had opened with a mini-break and followed up with two booming services, the battle was over, and the 2,900 fans in the Saalsporthalle showed due appreciation for what had been a fine match. Prior to the final, the third-place play-off saw Goran Ivanisevic defeat Ivan Lendl 7-6(3), 6-3. The two players are a year off their forties but on different sides, and once the 39-year-old Croat had worn the 51-year-old American down in a first-set tie-break, the rest of the match was one-way traffic. Goran banged down the aces on first and second services, regularly topping 200 km/h, but Ivan never lost the smile which he had had all week here in Zurich.
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