[NewYorkDoctorD]

Martin breaks out wooden racket to win Leeann Chin Challenge
October 01, 2011 @ 4:41 AMMINNEAPOLIS, (Sept. 30, 2011) –

Todd Martin went back in time Friday night when he used a vintage 1970’s Wilson Jack Kramer Pro Staff wooden racket to close out Michael Chang in the championship match of the Leeann Chin Challenge 8-5, and win the fourth event of the 2011 Champions Series at the Target Center.
“Often times I feel like I play better with it than the rackets we use today,” said Martin, who replaced the injured John McEnroe in the event. “It felt really good to use it. I had very low expectations coming in here, but this format rewards the player who plays the best in a very short amount of time.”
Leading 7-5 in the eight game pro-set final, Martin went to his bag to break out the vintage lumber racket. It certainly caught Chang by surprise, as Martin was able to break Chang’s serve by returning two cross court winners with the wood, to win the match. “Good thing he didn’t start the night with it,” said Chang.

With his standard racket, Martin’s game was on from the beginning. He was never broken on his serve all night, and reached the final with a 6-4 upset of crowd favorite Andre Agassi. Chang got by Jim Courier in the evening’s first semifinal, by the same 6-4 score.

[NewYorkDoctorD]

Sampras outlasts Courier to win CTCA Championships

October 09, 2011 @ 5:37 AM
SURPRISE, AZ (Oct. 8, 2011) –

Pete Sampras outlasted Jim Courier 8-7 (4) in the championship match of the CTCA Championships Saturday night in Surprise, Arizona. It was his third victory of the 2011 Champions Series, as Sampras increased his lead in the overall Champions Series points rankings with the victory. Sampras now leads Courier by 300 points at the midway point of the 2011 Champions Series, with six of the 12 events completed.

“It’s frustrating to come that close and not win,” said Courier, who reached his fourth championship match of the 2011 Series, but has yet to win. “Pete’s serve was the difference once again tonight. After I was able to break his serve, I liked my chances. But in the end, his mental toughness is one of his greatest strengths and he was able to regain the momentum, and hold on for the win.”

Sampras advanced to the final with a 6-3 semifinal triumph over Michael Chang, while Courier got by Mats Wilander 6-3 in the night’s first semifinal.

[NewYorkDoctorD]

Champions Series heats up Key Arena in Seattle tonight.

Chang d Courier in the first semifinal, 6-4.
Sampras d McEnroe 6-4 in the second semifinal.

[NewYorkDoctorD]

Pistol Pete Wins Champions Cup in Seattle
October 14, 2011 @ 6:16 AM
SEATTLE, WA (Oct. 13, 2011) –

Pete Sampras continued his winning ways on the 2011 Champions Series by defeating Michael Chang 8-4 to capture the Washington Trust Bank Champions Cup presented by Propel Insurance, at the Key Arena Thursday night in Seattle, Washington. It was his fourth victory in five appearances so far this season, as Sampras increased his lead in the Champions Series points standings. He now leads Chang by 600 points with seven of 12 events completed.

“I got it going tonight, and my game is really starting to feel good,” said the 14-time Grand Slam Champ. “These are all great matchups that we play here on this tour, and we’re all really excited that we can still sell out these arenas that we play in. But I’m here to win, and I like where I stand right now.”

Sampras advanced to the final with a 6-4 semifinal triumph over John McEnroe, who was making his first appearance of the 2011 Champions Series. “It was really nice coming back up here to Seattle tonight, and I loved getting back out there onto the court to compete,” said McEnroe.

Chang – who spent a number of years living in the Seattle area during his ATP Tour days – was playing in front of some of his old friends from the Pacific Northwest. He advanced with a 6-4 semifinal triumph over Jim Courier, who now sits in third place and holds just a 100-point margin over fourth place Andre Agassi. Only the top 3 finishers at the end of the 2011 Champions Series will share the one million dollar bonus pool.

The Champions Series moves to the Staples Center in Los Angeles Friday night for the HSBC Tennis Cup, followed by the CTCA Championships in Las Vegas Saturday night. Tickets and unique interactive VIP fan experiences for the 2011 Champions Series are on sale to the general public and start at $35. Tickets are available at venue box offices, all Ticketmaster locations, 202-397-SEAT or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

The 2011 Champions Series is a competitive tennis circuit featuring legendary tennis icons and world-renowned champions. The 12-city tour of one-night tournaments is being played in major U.S. arenas from September 22 – October 22.

TONIGHT’S SCORES
Semifinal 1: Chang def. Courier, 6-4
Semifinal 2: Sampras def. McEnroe, 6-4
Final: Sampras def. Chang, 8-4

[NewYorkDoctorD]

Sampras holds court at home to win HSBC Tennis Cup
October 15, 2011 @ 6:33 AM
LOS ANGELES, CA (Oct. 14, 2011) –

Southern California native Pete Sampras, playing in front of a slew of family and friends, held off long time rival Andre Agassi 8-6 to capture the HSBC Tennis Cup presented by CTCA, at the Staples Center Friday night in Los Angeles. It was his fifth victory in six appearances so far this season, and third consecutive, as Sampras took a commanding lead in the Champions Series points standings. He now leads Michael Chang by 1000 points with just four of the 12 events remaining.

The Hollywood crowd was treated to a rematch of a rivalry that started over 30 years ago, and still lasts today. “It’s been really great getting to know Pete even better over the past several weeks here on the Champions Series Tour,” Agassi said, moments after the loss tonight. “It’s been an opportunity to really embrace what we’ve meant to one another’s careers.”
“Andre has always been a class guy, and is so gracious in his losses as well as his victories,” said Sampras. “It was nice tonight to be out here on the court at the Staples Center and to play with so much support behind me.”

Sampras advanced to the final with a hard fought 7-6 (3) semifinal victory over Jim Courier, closing out the match with a thumping forehand return winner. Agassi opened the evening’s action with a 6-3 semifinal win over fan favorite John McEnroe.

Agassi’s semifinal win coupled with Courier’s loss moved both players into a tie for third place in the standings. Only the top 3 finishers at the end of the 2011 Champions Series will share the one million dollar bonus pool, and with four events remaining, Chang, Courier and Agassi are separated by only 100 points.

[NewYorkDoctorD]

Tonight, Saturday October 15, the tour moves to Agassi's hometown -

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Vegas visit Sampras' first in 16 years
http://www.lvrj.com/sports/vegas-vis...131791048.html

[NewYorkDoctorD]

SCORES from Los Angeles
Semifinal 1: Agassi def. McEnroe, 6-3
Semifinal 2: Sampras def. Courier, 7-6 (3)
Final: Sampras def. Agassi, 8-6

SCORES from Las Vegas
Semifinal 1: Sampras def. McEnroe, 6-4
Semifinal 2: Agassi def. Courier, 6-3
Final: Agassi def. Sampras, 8-5

[NewYorkDoctorD]

Hometown crowd lifts Agassi to victory
October 16, 2011 @ 6:13 AM
LAS VEGAS, NV (Oct. 15, 2011) –

With a vocal Las Vegas crowd supporting him, Andre Agassi held off long time rival Pete Sampras in the championship match, 8-5, to capture the Cancer Treatment Centers of America Championships at the Thomas and Mack Center Saturday night.

“This was the best, most energized crowd of the entire Series so far this year,” said Agassi. “It means the world to me that everyone came out tonight to support us – it was a very special feeling, and I can’t thank the fans enough. I felt pretty relaxed early on, and the crowd definitely helped me tonight.”

It was Agassi’s second victory of the 2011 Champions Series, and the win propelled him into second place in the official standings. Sampras still holds a commanding lead in the Series and now leads Agassi by 800 points with just three of the 12 events remaining. Only the top 3 finishers at the end of the 2011 Champions Series will share the one million dollar bonus pool, as Michael Chang currently holds a slim 100-point lead over Jim Courier for third place.

Sampras advanced to the final with a 6-4 semifinal victory over John McEnroe, while Agassi dispatched Jim Courier in a 6-3 semifinal win.

The Champions Series resumes next Thursday night in Chicago at the Powershares QQQ Challenge, followed by events in St. Louis Friday and Buffalo Saturday to conclude the 2011 Series. Tickets and unique interactive VIP fan experiences for the 2011 Champions Series are on sale to the general public and start at $35. Tickets are available at venue box offices, all Ticketmaster locations, 202-397-SEAT or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

[NewYorkDoctorD]

PowerShares QQQ named title sponsor of 2012 Champions Series
October 17, 2011 @ 4:03 PM
By Sports Business Journal

In what might be described as the ultimate “up sell,” the PowerShares QQQ exchange-traded fund is increasing its support of the Champions Series tennis tour from an event sponsorship in Chicago to title sponsorship of the entire 12-city tour of players over the age of 30, beginning in 2012.

“They were very excited about their Chicago event [on Oct. 20], so we were talking to them about [sponsoring] other cities as a way to expand their visibility and things just snowballed,’’ said four-time Grand Slam men’s singles champion Jim Courier, who along with former SFX executive Jon Venison owns and operates the six-year-old tour through their InsideOut Sports & Entertainment company. “They just got revved up with what they were doing locally and saw there was an opportunity nationally, especially with our TV package.”

Courier described the package as a seven-figure deal annually.

[NewYorkDoctorD]

PowerShares QQQ Challenge
Thu. Oct 20, 2011 - 7:30pm
Chicago, Illinois
United Center


7:30 PM Event Starts & Semi-final #1 (Courier vs Martin)
8:15 PM Semi-final #2 (McEnroe vs Agassi)

9:00 PM Finals (eight-game pro set match)