BOSTON, May 1, 2010 – In a renewal of one of the most storied rivalries in the history of tennis, John McEnroe defeated Bjorn Borg 6-4, 7-6 (3) Saturday night in a nostalgic semifinal at the $150,000 Staples Champions Cup at the Agganis Arena at Boston University. McEnroe served and volleyed his way past Borg on the slick indoor surface to reach the Boston final for a fourth time in the last five years where he will face Mark Philippoussis, a 4-6, 7-6 (5) 10-6 (Champions Tie-Breaker) winner over Jim Courier.
Playing 30 years since their epic five-set finals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, McEnroe and Borg delighted the near capacity crowd as both players displayed their vintage styles of play that made them two of the all-time legends in the sport. McEnroe, 51, used his deft touch at the net and his deceptive and powerful serve, while Borg, 53, executed on numerous passing shots and grinded out points from the baseline. McEnroe broke Borgs serve in the seventh game of the first set to take a 4-3 lead and served out the first set three games later. Neither player lost serve in the second set, forcing the tie-breaker that McEnroe won 7-3.
He picked it up (in the second set), said McEnroe. It seemed like he was hitting my serve better and then I tried to give him different looks off the serve to really keep him guessing. I tried to take it to an extra gear and I was able to keep him off-balance on my serve. That allowed me to swing more freely.
I thought it was a good match with a lot of good points, said Borg. John played really well. He has been playing a lot of tennis. The second set was close, but John was serving extremely well. It was really tough to break his serve. He was serving well and got a lot of first serves in. I had a great time out there. It is always fun to play John. I thought we had a lot of good points.
Borg said the biggest disappointment of the match was his serve.
If you dont play enough matches, sometimes you dont feel 100 percent confident, he said. You can make easy mistakes you dont usually do. John put a lot of pressure on me. He played really well.
McEnroes best success on the Champions Series circuit has come in Boston through the years. The native New Yorkers was a singles finalist in Boston in 2009, losing to Pete Sampras 7-6 (10), 6-4, one day before his 50th birthday. He won the title in 2008, defeating Aaron Krickstein in the final, and was a finalist in the inaugural event in 2006, losing to Todd Martin.
Of his continued success in Boston, McEnroe quipped to the Boston fans in the post-match, on-court interview, They really, deep down, love New Yorkers.
Philippoussis advanced into his second straight Champions Series final with his victory over Courier. With the win, Philippoussis becomes the new points leader on the Champions Series circuit, earning at least 500 points as a guaranteed singles finalist. Philippoussis finished as the runner-up in the opening event on the 2010 Champions Series, losing to Fernando Meligeni in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Courier, who did not lose his serve in the match, was denied a chance of reaching the final in Boston for the first time in the five years of the event. Courier finished in third place in 2006 and 2008 and lost the third-place playoff in 2005 and 2009. He will participate in the third-place playoff for a fifth straight year Sunday against Borg, whom he has never competed against.
Courier broke Philippoussis in the fifth game of the first set and hung on to win the first set 6-4. The pair then exchanged six straight service holds to force a second-set tie-breaker, won by Philippoussis 7-5. In the Champions Tie-breaker, the first-to-10-point tie-breaker played in lieu of a third-set, Philippoussis was the steadier player, jumping out to a 7-3 lead and held on for the 10-6 victory.
No matter what happened in the match I felt good, said Philippoussis. Jim was hitting the ball great and I was hitting the ball great. We had some good rallies and one loose service game and he took advantage. Jim is the kind of player that you cant afford to do that and with two tiebreakers anything can happen.
Courier went as far to call the loss one of the best matches I have played on the Champions Series. He lost the match despite not losing his serve.
It was a very high level of tennis, Courier said. I really enjoyed it, but I am frustrated because I lost. I dont like to lose. I feel great about the way Mark and I played. It was some awesome tennis. I put pressure on him where I could and he came up with the shots and lifted his level in those tiebreakers. I was serving a great percentage of serves and felt really good going into those tiebreakers, but it is always a roll of the dice.
When asked if he would rather play Borg or McEnroe after winning the first semifinal, Philippoussis said he would have preferred playing Borg since he has never played the Swedish legend, but added a confident prediction if McEnroe was his final-round opponent. I wouldnt mind playing McEnroe, he said, because I will beat him.
McEnroe said he was anticipating Philippoussis to come out swinging in the final.
That guy swings for the fences with a huge game, he said. When his serve is on, its like when some guys throw 90 miles an hour and there is nothing you can do, but I am going to concentrate on my serve. I dont think he is going to be breaking me easily either. It may come down to a couple of points. I will have to be sure that I dont get careless and give up an easy break. I have to get him on the run. If he has some time, there is going to be some problems.
The remaining schedule of the event is as follows;
Sunday, May 2
Starting at 2 pm
Third-Place Match: Jim Courier vs. Bjorn Borg
Followed by
Championship Match: Mark Philippoussis vs. John McEnroe
The Staples Champions Cup is part of the global Champions Series tennis circuit for champion tennis players age 30 and over. To be eligible to compete, 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. Each event features $150,000 in prize money with the tournament champion earning $60,000 and ranking points that determine the year-end No. 1. Each tournament champion earns 800 ranking points. Courier finished the 2009 season as the top-ranked player on the series, followed by Sampras and Martin.
Former French Open semifinalist Fernando Meligeni of Brazil was the surprise winner of the opening event on the 2010 Champions Series, winning the title in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, defeating Philippoussis in the final.
