LOS ANGELES — Andy Roddick won his third career title on the PowerShares Series champions tennis circuit Wednesday defeating Mark Philippoussis 6-4 in the one-set championship match at the Galen Center at the University of Southern California.
Roddick, playing in his first PowerShares Series event in the season, needed only a service break in the third game of the match to separate himself from Philippoussis.
“I had fun,” said Roddick after the final. “It’s great to come out here and pretend to be a tennis player once in a while.”
When asked how he would report on his tournament victory back on his sports broadcasting position on Fox Sports 1, Roddick, who retired from the ATP Tour in 2012, joked to the crowd, “A little out of breath.”
Following a 13-year pro career that included a victory at the U.S. Open in 2003, the world No. 1 ranking and leading the United States to the Davis Cup title in 2007, Roddick returned to competitive play on the PowerShares Series in 2014. He played in three events – winning in Birmingham, Alabama and Denver, Colorado – and enjoyed himself so much that he signed on to play 10 events in 2015.
“People will say I maybe retired early but I never had that time where I didn’t enjoy playing,” said Roddick. “I still enjoy it. I never get tired of it. I still enjoy hitting balls when I am home. It’s even more fun when I can come out here and play in front of people.”
Philippoussis was fresh off defeating Andre Agassi 7-6 (4) Tuesday night to win the title in Salt Lake City, the opening event on the 12-city circuit that runs through May 2. Philippoussis was only added to the Los Angeles field on Monday when Pete Sampras was forced to withdraw from the event with a calf injury suffered last weekend while playing in Sweden.
In the semifinal matches earlier in the night, Philippoussis posted a 7-5 win over Jim Courier while Roddick defeated James Blake 6-2 in the other semifinal.
After two events, Philippoussis leads the PowerShares Series points standings with 600 points, followed by Roddick with 400 points, earned with his tournament win in Los Angeles. Courier, Blake and Agassi are in a tie for third place with 200 points.
The PowerShares Series, the 12-city tennis circuit for champion tennis players over the age of 30, continues Wednesday, April 1 in Lincoln, Nebraska at the Pinnacle Bank Arena where John McEnroe will make his 2015 PowerShares Series debut and join Roddick, Courier and Blake. For full schedule, player and ticket information, go to www.PowerSharesSeries.com
The remaining PowerShares Series schedule with full fields are as follows:
Wednesday, April 1: Lincoln, Neb., (Pinnacle Bank Arena at Univ. of Nebraska) “Champions Cup Presented by Woods Park Tennis” featuring John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake
Thursday, April 2: Chicago, Ill. (Sears Centre) “PowerShares QQQ Challenge” featuring John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake
Thursday, April 16: Austin, Texas (Cedar Park Center) “Champions Shootout” featuring John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake
Friday, April 17: Little Rock, Ark. (Jack Stephens Center at the UALR) “Champions Cup” featuring John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, Mark Philippoussis
Saturday, April 18: Dallas, Texas (Moody Coliseum at SMU) “Champions Showdown” featuring John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, Mark Philippoussis
Wednesday, April 22: Boston, Mass. (Agganis Arena at Boston University) “Champions Cup” featuring John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake
Thursday, April 23: Richmond, Va., (Siegel Center at VCU) “Champions Challenge” featuring John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake
Wednesday, April 29: Minneapolis, Minn. (Target Center) “Champions Shootout” featuring John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Michael Chang, James Blake
Thursday, April 30: Cincinnati, Ohio (Cintas Center at Xavier) “Champions Showdown” featuring John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Michael Chang, James Blake
Saturday, May 2: Vancouver, Canada (Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre at UBC) “Champions Showdown” featuring Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Michael Chang, Mark Philippoussis
In 2014, John McEnroe won the points title for the first time in the nine-year history of Champions Series tennis by winning events in Kansas City, Indianapolis, Nashville and Charlotte. McEnroe was followed in the points standings by Blake in second place and Roddick in third place.
