Rafter Wins In Outback Champions Series Debut
InsideOut Sports & Entertainment | March 19, 2009
Rafter Wins In Outback Champions Series Debut
LOS CABOS, Mexico, March 19 – Patrick Rafter of Australia made a successful debut on the Outback Champions Series Thursday, defeating Luis Herrera of Mexico 6-1, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the $150,000 Del Mar Development Champions Cup at the Palmilla Tennis Club. Rafter, the two-time U.S. Open champion, is making his first tournament appearance on the Outback Champions Series, the global tennis circuit for champion tennis players age 30 and over, and will next play Jim Courier of the United States in Friday’s semifinals. Also on Thursday, former world No. 1 Mats Wilander of Sweden advanced into the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Leonardo Lavalle of Mexico. Wilander will next face 14-time major singles champion Pete Sampras in the other men’s semifinal scheduled for Saturday.
“I was pretty happy with the way I played all around,” said Rafter after his win over Herrera. “I have always been happy to get on the court and represent my country. I am excited to be here. My family and I are really happy to be in Cabo. I have never been here and it is so beautiful.”
Rafter, 36, is best known for his back-to-back victories at the U.S. Open in 1997 and 1998, becoming the first Australian man to win the event since John Newcombe in 1973. A 2006 inductee into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Rafter also reached the men’s singles final at Wimbledon in 2000 and 2001, losing to Sampras and Goran Ivanisevic, respectively. Ranked No. 1 in the world for one week in 1999, Rafter was a stalwart on Australia’s Davis Cup team from 1994 to 2001, helping his nation to the title in 1999, although not playing the final. He won 11 career singles title and 10 career doubles titles before ending his ATP career in 2001.
Wilander played his usual steady baseline game on the hard courts of the Palmilla Tennis Club against Lavalle, who like Rafter was making his Outback Champions Series debut.
“I got my unforced errors down, played the points out because I could see Leo getting tired,” said Wilander. “I also played with high intensity.”
Against Sampras, Wilander said he will need to rely on his first serve and play aggressive if he is able to upset the seven-time Wimbledon champion on Saturday.
“I plan on hitting our on the serve a lot more and going for the returns a little more,” said Wilander of playing Sampras. “With Pete it is like target tennis, quick points. This is good and bad, not much rhythm but quick points.”
Sampras won the opening event on the 2009 Outback Champions Series, defeating John McEnroe in the final of the Champions Cup Boston in February. McEnroe won the second event of the year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, defeating Jim Courier in the final. Following the Del Mar Development Champions Cup, Outback Champions Series events will be played in Grand Cayman (April 23-26),Newport, R.I. (August 20-23), Charlotte (Sept. 24-27), Surprise, Ariz. (Oct. 8-11) and Dubai, U.A.E. (Nov. 18-21).
Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features some of the biggest names in tennis over the last 25 years, including Andre Agassi, Sampras, McEnroe, Courier and others. To be eligible to compete on the Outback Champions Series, players must have reached at least a major singles final, been ranked in the top five in the world or played singles on a championship Davis Cup team. The Outback Champions Series features eight events on its 2009 schedule with each event featuring $150,000 in prize money as well as Champions Series ranking points that will determine the year-end No. 1. The year-end champion will receive a $100,000 bonus.
InsideOut Sports + Entertainment is a New York City-based independent producer of proprietary events and promotions founded in 2004 by former world No. 1 and Hall of Fame tennis player Jim Courier and former SFX and Clear Channel executive Jon Venison. In 2005, InsideOut launched its signature property, the Outback Champions Series, a collection of tennis events featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. In addition, InsideOut produces many other successful events including "Legendary Night" exhibitions, charity events and tennis fantasy camps such as the annual "Ultimate Fantasy Camp". Through 2008, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment events have raised over $4 million for charity. For more information, please log on to www.InsideOutSE.com or www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com.