Krickstein Upsets Courier In Surprise
InsideOut Sports & Entertainment | October 8, 2009
Krickstein Upsets Courier In Surprise
SURPRISE, Ariz., October 8, 2009 Aaron Krickstein upset top-ranked Jim Courier 7-6 (3), 2-6, 10-5 (Champions Tie-Breaker) Thursday in the opening round of the $150,000 Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships at Surprise. Wayne Ferreira of South Africa also advanced into the semifinals at the concluding event on the 2009 Outback Champions Series, defeating Mark Philippoussis of Australia, 6-3, 6-2.
Krickstein, ranked No. 11 in the Outback Champions Series rankings, is playing in only his second event of the year after losing a hard-fought first-round match to Todd Martin two weeks ago in Charlotte, N.C. The former U.S. Davis Cup standout connected on a high percentage of first serves and out-steadied and out-hit Courier from the baseline in the high-elevation conditions of suburban Phoenix. Courier, the No. 1 ranked player in the Outback Champions Series rankings, rallied to convincingly win the second set, but lost seven of the first nine points of the Champions Tie-Breaker, played in lieu of a third set, and was unable to stave off Krickstein's momentum.
"Aaron served great and played well," said Courier. "He was able to continue to serve well through the tie-breaker. That was the difference in the match tonight."
Friday's play at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex will be highlighted by Andre Agassi, who will make his Outback Champions Series debut against Mikael Pernfors of Sweden. The 39-year-old eight-time major tournament champion will play the second scheduled match Friday evening, following the 7 pm scheduled quarterfinal match between Todd Martin and Jimmy Arias.
Courier was fresh off defeating Pete Sampras in the final of the Outback Champions Series event in Charlotte, N.C. two weeks ago, his first win over Sampras since 1997 and arguably his best career result on the global tennis circuit for champion tennis players age 30 and over.
Krickstein will next face the winner of Friday's Martin-Arias match in Saturday's semifinals. Ferreira will face the winner of the Agassi-Pernfors match in the other semifinal.
The Cancer Treatment Centers of America Championships at Surprise runs through Sunday and features a field of eight champion players competing in a single knock-out format event for $150,000 in prize money and Outback Champions Series ranking points.
The order of play and schedule for the remainder of the tournament is as follows;
Friday, October 9th, 2009
Session #2 7:00pm
Quarterfinal #3 Todd Martin vs. Jimmy Arias
Followed by
Quarterfinal #4 Andre Agassi vs. Mikael Pernfors
Saturday, October 10th, 2009
Session #3 12:00pm
Mens Doubles
Followed by
Semifinal #1 Winner of Agassi/Pernfors vs. Ferreira
Session #4 5:00pm
Mens Doubles
Followed by
Semifinal #2 Winner of Martin/Arias vs. Krickstein
Sunday, October 11th, 2009
Session #5 12pm
Third Place Match
Followed by
Championship Match
John McEnroe won the inaugural event in 2008 in Surprise defeating Martin in the final. Ticket, travel and tournament information can be found by visiting www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com.
Sampras won the opening event on the 2009 Outback Champions Series, defeating 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 Courier in the final. Sampras won his second title of the year at the Del Mar Development Champions Cup in Los Cabos, Mexico, defeating Patrick Rafter in the final. Courier won his first title of the 2009 season in April at the Cayman Islands, defeating Arias in the final. Pat Cash successfully defended his title on the grass courts at the Hall of Fame Champions Cup in Newport, R.I. in August, defeating Courier in the final. Courier won his second title of the season in Charlotte, defeating Sampras in the final.
Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features some of the biggest names in tennis over the last 25 years, including 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 seven events on its 2009 schedule with each event featuring $150,000 in prize money as well as Champions Series points that will determine the year-end Champions Rankings No. 1.
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, corporate outings 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.