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John McEnroe

Patrick McEnroe Becomes Co-Director at John McEnroe Tennis Academy in New York City

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SPORTIME tennis club on Randall’s Island in New York City and The John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) today announced the appointment of Patrick McEnroe as Co-Director, alongside longtime JMTA Director Lawrence Kleger. McEnroe, the younger brother of JMTA founder John McEnroe, joins a team, led by SPORTIME Managing Director Bennett Schlansky. A world-class staff of directors, coaches, trainers and others support John’s and the Academy’s mission to stimulate interest in tennis in the greater NYC area, to make tennis accessible to New York area youth and to use tennis as pathway of opportunity, helping young players to reach there potentials as players, students and people.

“I am very pleased that my brother Patrick has decided to join us at JMTA, as we continue to refine our model and expand our impact,” John McEnroe said. “There probably isn’t anybody that understands American tennis and New York tennis better than Patrick and nobody in the world that has better or more experience coaching talent at the highest levels of the game. Patrick is going to help us make a difference.”

“My brother John, Lawrence Kleger and the entire team at JMTA have set a new standard in New York with the quality and breadth of what they offer, and with their charitable efforts for young players of both genders and all backgrounds,” Patrick McEnroe said. “I am looking forward to bringing my lifetime of learning, as a player, coach and program manager, to my new role. I think that JMTA is just getting started and that my involvement can be a great addition. I am excited to work on my brother’s team! ”

Ben Schlansky explains, “The opportunity to add Patrick to the Sportime/JMTA team was unexpected and, frankly, a ‘no brainer.’ Our CEO, Claude Okin, has known Patrick for almost 20 years, and we have all watched Patrick’s evolution from touring pro, to Davis Cup Captain, to GM of USTA Player Development, and more, plus some folks forget that he won a Grand Slam. And now he is a tennis dad, so he has added that perspective. Patrick’s contribution should be amazing for Sportime and JMTA, and Claude and I are so excited to have him on our team.”

This sentiment was echoed by Patrick’s JMTA Co-Director, Lawrence Kleger, who said, “I am very excited to have Patrick join our JMTA team.  I have known Patrick since he was a kid and have always liked and respected him.  I look forward to working side by side with him.  Without question, Patrick will help us take the Academy to the next level.”

Patrick McEnroe won one singles title and 16 doubles titles, including the 1989 French Open Men’s Doubles title, during his 10-year professional career, and achieved career-high rankings of World No. 28 in singles and World No. 3 in doubles.  After retiring from the tour in 1998, Patrick had a successful run as U.S. Davis Cup captain, winning the cup in 2007. After leaving his Davis Cup role in 2010, McEnroe focused on his television commentary work, and also led the player development charge for the USTA until 2014. McEnroe is a life-long New Yorker, where he lives with his wife, Broadway star and actress Melissa Errico and their three daughters. McEnroe will impact a variety of areas in his position with SPORTIME and JMTA, including curriculum, corporate engagement, and fundraising for scholarship and community-based programs, as well as coach and staff recruitment and training, calling on his many years of working with and managing other great coaches, and learning from them.

About SPORTIME

SPORTIME is proud to operate the finest tennis facilities in New York State, with over 150 indoor and outdoor courts at 12 clubs across Long Island, in NYC, in Westchester and in the NY Capital Region.  SPORTIME’s clubs are state-of-the-art, yet affordable, and feature the best tennis facilities and programs, along with great gyms, camps and sports and fitness offerings.  SPORTIME is proud to be the home of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy at Randall’s Island since 2010, with JMTA Annexes at Syosset/Bethpage, Long Island, and Lake Isle, Eastchester, since 2012.

About The John McEnroe Tennis Academy

In September 2010, tennis legend John McEnroe and SPORTIME partnered to launch the John McEnroe Tennis Academy in John’s hometown of New York City, at the SPORTIME’s flagship Randall’s Island Tennis Center in Manhattan. In September 2012, JMTA expanded its geographic reach to SPORTIME locations in Westchester and on Long Island: SPORTIME Lake Isle, an 8-court, state-of-the art, year-round facility in Eastchester, New York in lower Westchester; and SPORTIME Syosset in central Long Island, an 11-court indoor facility, that has long served as SPORTIME’s high performance training center on Long Island. John’s passion and belief is that great players can be developed in urban settings, while still having the opportunity to live at home, pursue their educational goals, and participate in a variety of sports and extracurricular activities. The Academy works to recruit the most talented and the most highly motivated young athletes in the New York Metropolitan area and beyond. Inspired by the vision and daily presence of Johnny Mac and under the guidance of JMTA Managing Director, Bennett Schlansky, JMTA Directors, Lawrence Kleger and Patrick McEnroe, JMTA Performance Director, Richard-John Mensing, Jr., and JMTA Director of Mental Performance and Toughness, Dr. Dom Lausic, and with a world-class staff of tennis, athletic training and performance directors and coaches, JMTA delivers a complete training program designed to assure the best possible outcome for serious players; whether for junior tournament players, future and current collegiate stars, or for those seeking to play on, or currently playing on the ATP, WTA and ITF tours.

About the Johnny Mac Tennis Project

The Johnny Mac Tennis Project (JMTP) changes young lives by removing the economic and social barriers to success through tennis. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, JMTP introduces the sport of tennis as a life-long health, fitness and social activity to thousands of under-resourced New York City area kids, particularly those living in East Harlem and the South Bronx, two communities immediately adjacent to our base at SPORTIME Randall’s Island. For a smaller group of dedicated young athletes, JMTP provides a pathway to success through competitive tennis, leading to college scholarships, careers in the industry, and, for a few, professional tennis careers and, perhaps, Grand Slam titles.

John and Patrick McEnroe
John and Patrick McEnroe

For The Holidays, Consider “The Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time” by Steve Flink

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Having trouble thinking of the proper holiday gift for the tennis player in your life? Consider the book “The Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time” by Steve. Flink.

“The Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time” features profiles and rankings of the greatest matches of all time dating from the1920s featuring Bill Tilden and Suzanne Lenglen up through the modern era of tennis featuring contemporary stars Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. Flink breaks down, analyzes and puts into historical context the sport’s most memorable matches, providing readers with a courtside seat at these most celebrated and significant duels. Flink also includes a fascinating “greatest strokes of all-time” section where he ranks and describes the players who best executed all the important shots in the game through the years. Other champions featured in the book include Don Budge, Maureen Connolly, Rod Laver, Margaret Court, Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf among many others.

The book is published by New Chapter Press, the premier global publisher of tennis books.

The hard-cover book, that makes for a centerpiece of a coffee table or at your local tennis club, retails for $28.95, and can be purchased here on Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/dp/0942257936/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_Qj-rybVBRK7ZW or at www.NewChapterMedia.com and where ever books are sold.

Flink, one of the most respected writers and observers in the game, is currently a columnist for TennisChannel.com. A resident of Katonah, N.Y., he is the former editor of World Tennis magazine and a former senior columnist at Tennis Week.

The book has received high praise from some of the most respected names in the sport, including Chris Evert, a winner of 18 major singles titles in her career, who wrote the foreword to the book.

Said seven-time Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras, “Steve Flink was there reporting on almost every big match I played in my career. He has seen all of the great players for the last 45 years. I encourage you to read this book because Steve is one of the most insightful writers on the game that I have known and he really knows his tennis.”

Said former U.S. Davis Cup captain and player Patrick McEnroe, “As a writer and a fan, Steve Flink’s knowledge of tennis history and his love of the sport are second to none, which is why you should read his book.”

Said ESPN’s Cliff Drysdale, “To see tennis through the eyes of Steve Flink is to wander through a wonderland. These are not fantasies because Steve captures the essence of tennis matches in graphic detail. There is no one more passionate or caring about his subject. In this absorbing book, I can relive matches that I have called on television.”

Founded in 1987, New Chapter Press (www.NewChapterMedia.com) is also the publisher of “Roger Federer: Quest for Perfection” by Rene Stauffer, “The Bud Collins History of Tennis” by Bud Collins (a new third edition published in late 2016), “The Education of a Tennis Player” by Rod Laver with Bud Collins, “The Wimbledon Final That Never Was” by Sidney Wood, “Acing Depression: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match” by Cliff Richey and Hilaire Richey Kallendorf, “Titanic: The Tennis Story” by Lindsay Gibbs, “Jan Kodes: A Journey To Glory From Behind The Iron Curtain” by Jan Kodes with Peter Kolar, “Tennis Made Easy” by Kelly Gunterman, “On This Day In Tennis History” by Randy Walker, “A Player’s Guide To USTA League Tennis” by Tony Serksnis, “Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games” by Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli (www.Boycott1980.com), “The Lennon Prophecy” by Joe Niezgoda (www.TheLennonProphecy.com), “Bone Appetit, Gourmet Cooking For Your Dog” by Susan Anson, “How To Sell Your Screenplay” by Carl Sautter, “The Rules of Neighborhood Poker According To Hoyle” by Stewart Wolpin, “People’s Choice Guide Cancun” by Eric Rabinowitz, “Lessons from the Wild” by Shayamal Vallabhjee among others.

 

"The Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time"
“The Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time”

PowerShares Series Part Of Exciting January of Tennis In Orlando

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For the first time ever, PowerShares Series brings tennis to Orlando’s Amway Center on January 5, 2017, featuring tennis greats including John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Andy Roddick and James Blake. Tickets are on sale now.

On January 2, 2017, Orlando will celebrate another first when the United States Tennis Association (USTA) officially opens its USTA National Campus in the Lake Nona Community of Orlando. The New Home of American Tennis is a state-of-the-art facility with 100 courts, housing the USTA’s Community Tennis and Player Development divisions as well as the University of Central Florida’s tennis teams. The campus is divided into dedicated areas that focus on the pathway from the youngest players to recreational players, to collegians, to future professional players and professional tour-level players.

“January will be the most exciting month for tennis that Orlando has ever experienced,” said Jim Courier, the U.S. Davis Cup captain, co-founder of the PowerShares Series and a part-time Orlando resident. “The USTA’s home of American tennis will open to the public and begin full operations shortly after the new year and then professional tennis will be played at the Amway Center for the first time when the PowerShares Series hits town. It’s going to be an amazing start to 2017.”

“Orlando is an internationally recognized destination because of our top notch tourism industry, and with our world-class venues, including the USTA Tennis Center and Amway Center, we continue to attract events like the PowerShares Series tennis tour. Orlando is now also the leading destination for major sporting events in America,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.

“We are excited to host a first-time, high-caliber tennis event featuring some of the world’s greatest champions,” said Orlando Venues Executive Director Allen Johnson. “With the opening of the USTA facility in January, it was a perfect opportunity to schedule the series.”

The PowerShares Series is the first major, professional tennis event in Orlando in almost 20 years. McEnroe, the four-time U.S. Open and three-time Wimbledon champion, headlines the field of four world class players at the Champions Showdown Orlando that also features 2003 U.S. Open champion Roddick, former world number four Blake, and Courier, the two-time French and Australian Open champion. The event begins with McEnroe taking on Courier, followed by Blake against Roddick. Each PowerShares Series event features two, one-set semifinal matches and a one-set championship match and, for the second straight year, players make their own line calls with the assistance of electronic line-calling. Tickets, as well as hit-with-the-pros opportunities and VIP backstage access, are for sale now at PowerSharesSeries.com.

“We are very excited that the PowerShares Series will bring world-class tennis to Orlando,” said Chief Executive, Community Tennis and USTA National Campus Kurt Kamperman. “Along with the opening of the USTA National Campus, Orlando has become an ultimate destination for tennis fans and players of all ages and abilities.”

The USTA National Campus’ mission is to deliver the world’s finest tennis experience for all who visit, use, and work at the facility. It is the essence of collaboration and innovation for the sport of tennis, as well as for training and developing the next generation of tennis players, officials and industry professionals. The USTA National Campus will feature 100 tennis courts, is open to the public, and will be able to accommodate every type of tennis competition and program, from youth tennis events to age-based national championships.

In 2015, Roddick won the PowerShares Series points title in his second year of competing with 1,600 points and a record eight wins. Blake finished second in the points rankings with 1,200 points. Mark Philippoussis finished in third with 1,100 points. In 2014, 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.

Tickets, schedules and this season’s remaining PowerShares Series schedule with player fields can be found at PowerSharesSeries.com.

TICKETS: $30, $55, $80, $115 & $195 – Buy tickets at AmwayCenter.com, Amway Center box office, Ticketmaster retail locations, charge-by-phone at 800.745.3000 or at Ticketmaster.com.  All dates, act(s) and ticket prices are subject to change without notice.  All tickets are subject to applicable taxes, service, handling and facility fee charges. For Amway Center box office and ticket information, visit AmwayCenter.com (phone purchases are not available through the Amway Center box office).  The Amway Center is located at 400 West Church Street and the box office is located on the north side of the Amway Center, near the intersection of Church Street and Hughey Avenue. 

ABOUT INSIDEOUT SPORTS + ENTERTAINMENT

InsideOut Sports + Entertainment is a Los Angeles based producer of proprietary events and promotions founded in 2004 by former world number one 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 Champions Series, a collection of tournaments featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. In addition, InsideOut produces many other successful events including, “Legendary Night” exhibitions, The World Series of Beach Volleyball and numerous corporate outings. Since inception, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment has raised over $4 million for charity. In 2014, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment merged with Horizon Media, the largest privately held media services agency in the world.  For more information, please log on to InsideOutSE.com or powersharesseries.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

ABOUT HORIZON MEDIA

Horizon Media, Inc. is the largest and fastest growing privately held media services agency in the world. The company was founded in 1989, is headquartered in New York and has offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Chicago. Horizon Media was chosen as 2011 Independent Media Agency of the Year by Mediapost, 2010 U.S. Media Agency of the Year by Adweek, Brandweek, and Mediaweek as well as by Ad Age and as one of the world’s 10 most innovative marketing and advertising companies by Fast Company in 2011. In 2012, Bill Koenigsberg, president, CEO and founder, was honored by Advertising Age as Industry Executive of the Year. Most recently, in 2014, Bill Koenigsberg was named 4As Chair of the Board and is the first person from a media agency to hold this prestigious position in the 100 year history of the 4As, the marketing industry’s leading trade association. The company’s mission is “To create the most meaningful brand connections within the lives of people everywhere.” By delivering on this mission through a holistic approach to brand marketing, Horizon Media is one of the leading agencies with estimated billings of over $5.3 billion and over 1,200 employees. The company is also a founding member of Columbus Media International, a multi-national partnership of independent media agencies. For more information, please visit horizonmedia.com.

ABOUT INVESCO POWERSHARES

Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC is leading the Intelligent ETF Revolution® through its lineup of more than 140 domestic and international exchange-traded funds, which seek to outperform traditional benchmark indexes while providing advisors and investors access to an innovative array of focused investment opportunities. With franchise assets of nearly $100 billion as of October 2, 2015, PowerShares ETFs trade on both US stock exchanges. For more information, please visit us at invescopowershares.com or follow us on Twitter @PowerShares.

ABOUT POWERSHARES QQQ

PowerShares QQQ™, an exchange-traded fund (ETF) based on the NASDAQ-100 Index®, is one of the largest and most traded ETFs in the world. Under most circumstances, QQQ will consist of all of the stocks in the index which includes 100 of the largest domestic and international nonfinancial companies listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market based on market capitalization.

ABOUT AMWAY CENTER

The Orlando Magic served as the developer of the Amway Center, which hosts major national events, concerts and family shows.  Opened in the fall of 2010, the facility is owned and operated by the City of Orlando on behalf of the Central Florida community. The Amway Center was designed to reflect the character of the community, meet the goals of the users and build on the legacy of sports and entertainment in Orlando. The building’s exterior features a modern blend of glass and metal materials, along with ever-changing graphics via a monumental wall along one facade. A 180-foot tall tower serves as a beacon amid the downtown skyline. The 875,000 square foot, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certified building features a sustainable, environmentally-friendly design and unmatched technology, including 1,100 digital monitors, the tallest high-definition video board in an NBA venue and multiple premium amenities available to all patrons in the building. Amway Center was recently honored with TheStadiumBusiness Awards’ 2013 Customer Experience Award and named SportsBusiness Journal’s 2012 Sports Facility of the Year. For more information about the Amway Center, visit www.amwaycenter.com.

 

Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick

John McEnroe To Replace Andre Agassi In PowerShares Series Events In Orlando, Brooklyn

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John McEnroe will replace an injured Andre Agassi in the field of the final two PowerShares Series events of the season at the Amway Center in Orlando and the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Both events, originally scheduled for December, will now be played in January – the Champions Showdown Orlando being played on Thursday, January 5 and the PowerShares QQQ Cup, the first-ever tennis event held at the Barclays Center, to be played Saturday, January 7.

In Orlando, McEnroe will open up play against Jim Courier at 7 pm to be followed by Andy Roddick taking on James Blake. In Brooklyn, Roddick will play Blake in the opener at 7 pm, followed by McEnroe against Courier. Each PowerShares Series event features two one-set semifinal matches and a one-set championship match and, for the second straight year, players make their own line calls with assistance of electronic line-calling. Tickets, as well hit-with-the-pros opportunities and VIP backstage access, are for sale for Brooklyn on now and for Orlando on September 10 at www.PowerSharesSeries.com

Said McEnroe of playing in Brooklyn, “As a New Yorker, I’m thrilled to be part of the first-ever tennis event at Barclays Center. New York has an incredible tennis history, so it’s fitting that Brooklyn is where we will conclude another great year on the PowerShares Series. I’m looking forward to playing in Brooklyn on January 7.”

Agassi has been forced off the PowerShares Series for an undetermined time due to back troubles that have plagued him throughout his career. In his only tournament appearances this season, he lost to Roddick in the final of Charleston and fell to Blake in the semifinals of Chicago in April.

Mark Philippoussis leads the PowerShares Series rankings through eight events with 1600 points, going undefeated in match play while winning five tournament titles in Memphis, Tulsa, Newport, Winston-Salem and New Haven. Roddick is in second place in the rankings with 1100 points and the tournament titles in Charleston, S.C. and St. Louis, Mo. Blake ranks No. 3 with 800 points, along with the tournament title in Chicago. McEnroe is in fourth place in the rankings with 600 points, with a runner-up finishes in Chicago and St. Louis.

The remaining PowerShares Series for this season schedule with player fields are listed below and ticket, schedule and player information can be found at www.PowerSharesSeries.com;

 

October 27 – Los Angeles (Sherwood Tennis Club) – Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake, Mark Philippoussis

November 4 – Portland, Oregon (Moda Center) –  Andy Roddick, John McEnroe, James Blake, Mark Philippoussis

January 5 –  Orlando (Amway Arena) – John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake

January 7 – New York (Barclays Center) – John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake

 

The PowerShares Series is the North American circuit for champion tennis players over the age of 30. In 2015, Andy Roddick won the PowerShares Series points title in his second year of competing on the series with 1,600 points. Roddick won a record eight events Los Angeles, Lincoln, Chicago, Austin, Little Rock, Dallas, Richmond and Minneapolis. Blake finished second in the points rankings with 1,200 points, winning events in Boston and Cincinnati. Mark Philippoussis finished in third with 1,100 points, winning titles in Salt Lake City and Vancouver. The year before in 2014, 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.

ABOUT INSIDEOUT SPORTS + ENTERTAINMENT

InsideOut Sports + Entertainment is a Los Angeles based 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 Champions Series, a collection of tournaments featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. In addition, InsideOut produces many other successful events including “Legendary Night” exhibitions, The World Series of Beach Volleyball and numerous corporate outings. Since inception, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment has raised over $4 million for charity. In 2014, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment merged with Horizon Media, the largest privately held media services agency in the world.  For more information, please log on to www.InsideOutSE.com or www.powersharesseries.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

ABOUT HORIZON MEDIA

Horizon Media, Inc. is the largest and fastest growing privately held media services agency in the world. The company was founded in 1989, is headquartered in New York and has offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Chicago. Horizon Media was chosen as 2011 Independent Media Agency of the Year by Mediapost, 2010 U.S. Media Agency of the Year by Adweek, Brandweek, and Mediaweek as well as by Ad Age and as one of the world’s ten most innovative marketing and advertising companies by Fast Company in 2011. In 2012, Bill Koenigsberg, President, CEO and Founder, was honored by Advertising Age as Industry Executive of the Year. Most recently, in 2014, Bill Koenigsberg was named 4As Chair of the Board and is the first person from a media agency to hold this prestigious position in the 100 year history of the 4As, the marketing industry’s leading trade association. The company’s mission is “To create the most meaningful brand connections within the lives of people everywhere.” By delivering on this mission through a holistic approach to brand marketing, Horizon Media has become one of the largest and fastest-growing media agencies in the industry, with estimated billings of over $5.3 billion and over 1,200 employees. The company is also a founding member of Columbus Media International, a multi-national partnership of independent media agencies. For more information, please visit horizonmedia.com.

ABOUT INVESCO POWERSHARES

Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC is leading the Intelligent ETF Revolution® through its lineup of more than 140 domestic and international exchange-traded funds, which seek to outperform traditional benchmark indexes while providing advisors and investors access to an innovative array of focused investment o

John McEnroe
John McEnroe

pportunities. With franchise assets of nearly $100 billion as of October 2, 2015, PowerShares ETFs trade on both US stock exchanges. For more information, please visit us at invescopowershares.com or follow us on Twitter @PowerShares.

ABOUT POWERSHARES QQQ

PowerShares QQQ™, an exchange-traded fund (ETF) based on the NASDAQ-100 Index®, is one of the largest and most traded ETFs in the world. Under most circumstances, QQQ will consist of all of the stocks in the index which includes 100 of the largest domestic and international nonfinancial companies listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market based on market capitalization.

 

Karolina Pliskova, Lucas Pouille Wins Give Reason To Celebrate US Open’s Ultimate-Set Tiebreakers

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by Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

 

Ultimate-set tiebreakers have been the talk of the U.S. Open with Lucas Pouille defeating Rafael Nadal 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the fourth round of men’s singles and Karolina Pliskova beating Venus Williams 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the fourth round of women’s singles. I have been tweeting that the ultimate set-tiebreaker is the most exciting 10 minutes in tennis.

Pliskova’s win came on the 20-year anniversary of one of the all-time great ultimate-set tiebreakers, Pete Sampras defeating Alex Corretja in the quarterfinals of the 1996 U.S. Open.

The U.S. Open is, of course, the only of the four major championships to have a fifth-set tiebreaker, the other three majors electing to play out ultimate sets. This can lead to all sorts of insanity, as witnessed by John Isner’s 70-68 fifth-set win over Nicolas Mahut in 2012. I’ve ranted about ultimate-set tiebreakers and how they are needed across the board in tennis, as you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtVQNUWoXxs

Olympic tennis has caught on as the International Tennis Federation has dictated that ultimate sets will now feature tiebreakers, as witnessed at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

So, in celebration of ultimate-set tiebreakers at the U.S. Open, here are a list of some of the best of all-time, mostly picked from my book, ebook, audio book and mobile app “This Day In Tennis History” (available at www.TennisHistoryApp.com)

 

1991 Women’s Semifinals – Monica Seles over Jennifer Capriati: Seventeen-year-old Monica Seles and 15-year-old Jennifer Capriati slug it out in the dramatic women’s semifinal at the U.S. Open with Seles hanging on to advance into the U.S. Open final for the first time with a nail-biting 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (4) victory. Capriati serves for the match on two occasions – at 5-4 and 6-5 in the final set, but is unable to convert. Says Capriati, “I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.” Says Seles, “We both didn’t want to give up unitl the last ball…There was a lot of pressure on me because she was running every ball down.”

2003 Women’s Semifinals – Justin Henin-Hardenne over Jennifer Capriati: In the wee-hours of the morning the night before, Justine Henin-Hardenne finally defeats Jennifer Capriati 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4) in the women’s semifinal in a match that concludes at 12:27 a.m. The Capriati-Henin-Hardenne match lasts 3 hours, 3 minutes with Capriati serving for the match in both in the second and third sets. She is two points from winning the match 11 times, but is unable to break through. Curiously, both Capriati and Henin-Hardenne win 127 points in the match.

1981 Women’s Final – Tracy Austin over Martina Navratilova: A tie-breaker determines the winner of a major singles title for the first time as 18-year-old Tracy Austin wins her second U.S. Open singles title edging first-time finalist and newly-minted American citizen Martina Navratilova in the final 1-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (1). “This means more to me than the last one,” says Austin. “At 16, it all came so fast. It was kind of like the stepping stone. I had come onto the women’s tour and gradually had gotten better and better. I was too young to realize how important it was.”

1984 Men’s Semifinal – Ivan Lendl over Pat Cash: Perhaps the single greatest day in tennis history, as Ivan Lendl defeats Pat Cash 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4) in the first men’s semifinal, winning the final-set tie-breaker 7-4. Lendl famously saving a match point at 5-6, ad in with a forehand top-spin lob over Cash’s head.

2005 Men’s Quarterfinal – Andre Agassi over James Blake: Andre Agassi and James Blake compete in one of the most exciting U.S. Open matches of all time, Agassi finishing off a two-sets-to-love comeback win at 1:15 am winning an 8-6 fifth-set tiebreaker to advance into the men’s semifinals with a 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (6) victory. “It couldn’t have been more fun to lose,” Blake tells Agassi as the two Americans embrace at the net after the two-hour, 51-minute match. “At 1:15 in the morning for 20,000 people to still be here, I wasn’t the winner, tennis was,” Agassi tells the crowd. “I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this good here before.” Blake serves for the match at 5-4 in the fifth but is denied by Agassi. Blake also leads by 5-4, serving, in the fifth-set tiebreaker but Agassi rallies to win four of the last five points.

1991 Men’s Fourth Round – Jimmy Connors over Aaron Krickstein: In one of the most famous matches in the history of the U.S. Open, Jimmy Connors turns 39-years-old and comes back from a two-sets-to-one and a 2-5 fifth-set deficit to defeat 27-year-old Aaron Krickstein 3-6, 7-6, 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 in a rousing fourth round match in the late afternoon of Labor Day Monday, “This is what I live for, to win a match 7-6 in the fifth,” says Connors, who pulls a similar escape in the first round against Patrick McEnroe, trailing two sets to love and 3-0 in the third set. “For me to pull out another stunt like this, how can you not laugh about it? What the hell is going on here?” Connors struts, fist-pumps and grinds around the court in the 4 hour, 42-minute encounter, calling chair umpire David Littlefield “an abortion” after questioning a call and telling TV viewers before the fifth-set tie-break, “This is what they paid for. This is what they want.” Writes Tommy Bonk in the Los Angeles Times, “Connors came from a break down in the fifth set, got it back even as Krickstein served for the match at 5-3, climbed into the deciding tiebreaker with a windmill overhead on which his feet cleared the court by a good two inches and knocked a backhand volley into the open court to end it on the first match point. Along the way, Connors carried on in what has become his time-honored tradition, alternating somewhere between reform school and charm school.”

1985 Women’s Final – Hana Mandlikova over Martina Navratilova: Hana Mandlikova wins her only U.S. Open singles crown defeating Martina Navratilova in the final 7-6 (3), 1-6, 7-6 (2). The 23-year-old Czech becomes the first non-American woman to win the U.S. singles title since Margaret Court of Australia in 1970. Mandlikova, who beat Chris Evert in the semifinals, bursts out to a 5-0 lead in the first set and hangs on to win the first set in a tie-breaker. Mandlikova, seeded No. 3, wins the last six points of the decisive, third-set tie-breaker. Says Mandlikova, “I just think that finally everything fell into place and I showed I can play.”

1986 Women’s Semifinal – Martina Navratilova over Steffi Graf: Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf complete one of the greatest U.S. Open women’s semifinal matches ever as Navratilova comes back from three match points down to claim a 1-6, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (10-8) semifinal victory over the 17-year-old West German. Navratilova, who displays fist-shaking and finger-waving emotion, leads 4-1 in the first set before the match is delayed a day due to rain and completes the inspired victory in a total match-playing time of 2 hours, 19 minutes. Writes Roy Johnson of the New York Times, “It took more than 24 hours to complete, with emotions that ranged from exultation to disappointment. In between, two players tested and stretched one another and provided a sellout crowd at the National Tennis Center with the most dramatic match of the tournament.”

1996 Men’s Quarterfinal – Pete Sampras over Alex Corretja: Defending champion and No. 1 seeded Pete Sampras, fighting off fatigue and becoming ill on court, outlasts Alex Corretja 7-6 (5), 5-7, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7) in the quarterfinals in one of the most dramatic matches ever at the U.S. Open. Sampras vomits on the court after the second point of the final-set tie-break and fights off a match point at 6-7 in the tiebreaker with a stab volley. At 7-7, Sampras, struggling with his strength, serves a second-serve ace to take an 8-7 lead. Sampras appears barely able to play another point – and doesn’t need to – as Corretja double-faults the match away on the next point. Says Corretja following the match, “It was probably the best match of my career – the best one and the worst one.”

1985 Women’s Quarterfinal – Steffi Graf over Pam Shriver: In the first U.S. Open match where every set is determined by tiebreakers, sixteen-year-old advances into the semifinals at major championship for the first time in her career by upsetting No. 4 seed Pam Shriver 7-6 (4), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4) on the Grandstand court at the USTA National Tennis Center. Shriver leads 4-1 in the final set, serves for the match at 5-3, and leads 4-3 in the final-set tiebreaker, losing the last four points in the match. “It was one of the most unbelievable matches that I’ve been a part of,” Shriver says following the two-hour, 46-minute match. “My effort couldn’t have been more–and it was just about two points too less.” Said Graf, “I don’t think I’ve ever played such a close match.”

1980 Men’s Semifinal – John McEnroe over Jimmy Connors: In a struggle between the last two men to win the U.S. Open men’s singles titles, defending champion John McEnroe beats 1978 champion Jimmy Connors 6-4, 5-7, 0-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3). The tie-breaker was mostly bereft of drama as McEnroe won six of the first seven points, before holding on for the win.

1987 Men’s First Round – Ken Flach over Darren Cahill: Ken Flach defeats qualifier Darren Cahill 1-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (15), in 3 hours 18 minutes in the xx round. The 17-15 tie-breaker score is the longest at the U.S. Open in men’s singles competition since the tiebreaker is introduced in 1970.

1998 Men’s Quarterfinal – Mark Philippoussis over Thomas Johansson: Mark Philippoussis advances to his first major semifinal with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, 7-6 (12-10) win over Thomas Johansson, saving three match points in the final-set tiebreaker.

2013 Men’s First Round – Rogerio Dutra Da Silva over Vasek Pospisil: Rogerio Dutra of Brazil saves seven match points and beats Vasek Pospisil 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (9), 6-2, 7-6 (10) in the first round.

1985 Men’s First Round – John McEnroe over Shlomo Glickstein: Top-seed and world No. 1 John McEnroe survives a monumental first-round scare and defeats world No. 137 Shlomo Glickstein of Israel 6-1, 6-7, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7). McEnroe trails by a service break twice in the fifth set, but rallies to force the final-set tiebreaker. He leads 6-3 in the ultimate tie-breaker, but is wrecked with nerves and finally converts on his fifth match point of the match. “It was an amazing struggle,” says McEnroe after the win. “I was in shock. By the time I realized I was in for a tough match, I had to fight my bleep off to win it. I’ve never been so happy to win a first-round match.”

1990 Women’s Third Round – Linda Ferrando over Monica Seles: Unheralded and No. 82-ranked Linda Ferrando of Italy upsets No. 3 seed and 16-year-old Monica Seles 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (3) in the third round of the US Open. Says Seles, “I’ve never seen play before so I didn’t know what to expect from her. After the first set, I knew she was going to be a bigger problem to finish off.”

 

Do you have any other U.S. Open ultimate set-tiebreakers that you would like to share? Share with me on Twitter at @TennisPublisher or email me at Rwalker@NewChapterMedia.com

 

Pete Sampras during 1996 Fifth-Set Tiebreaker with Alex Corretja
Pete Sampras during 1996 Fifth-Set Tiebreaker with Alex Corretja

Philippoussis Now Five-For-Five For 2016 PowerShares Series With New Haven Win

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NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Mark Philippoussis has played five PowerShares Series tournaments in 2016 and has won them all.

The 39-year-old Australian defeated James Blake 6-2 in Friday’s championship match at the PowerShares Series Legends New Haven to continue his dominant play on the North American tennis circuit for champion tennis players over the age of 30.

Played in conjunction with the WTA’s Connecticut Open, the PowerShares Legends New Haven is the eighth of 12 events on the 2016 PowerShares Series. The win for Philippoussis, a late replacement for an injured Mardy Fish in the New Haven tournament field, increased his won-loss record for the year to 10-0.

“It’s just a point here and there,” said Philippoussis of his 2016 PowerShares Series winning streak. “Whether playing a good point or on unforced errors, that’s where the whole set is decided. I’ve just been fortunate the last few times it’s gone my way.”

Philippoussis won PowerShares Series titles on back-to-back nights indoors in April in Tulsa and Memphis, beating Jim Courier in both finals. He won on the grass courts of Newport, R.I. in July, beating Marat Safin in the final. Last Sunday in Winston-Salem, N.C., he beat Roddick in the final to win his fourth title of the year.

To advance into the final Friday in New Haven, Philippoussis beat Roddick 6-4. Blake, a native of nearby Fairfield, Conn., beat John McEnroe 6-4 in the other semifinal that was played on Thursday night.

The win in New Haven marked the ninth career PowerShares Series title for Philippoussis. He sits atop the PowerShares Series rankings with 1600 points. Roddick is in second place with 1100 points. Blake ranks No. 3 with 800 points.

Each PowerShares Series event features two one-set semifinal matches and a one-set championship match and, for the second straight year, players make their own line calls with assistance of electronic line-calling.

The remaining 2016 PowerShares Series schedule with player fields are listed below and ticket, schedule and player information can be found at www.PowerSharesSeries.com;

October 27 – Los Angeles (Sherwood Tennis Club) – Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake, Mark Philippoussis

November 4 – Portland, Oregon (Moda Center) –  Andy Roddick, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Mark Philippoussis

December 1 – Orlando (Amway Arena) – Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake

December 3 – New York (Barclays Center) – Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake

In 2015, Andy Roddick won the PowerShares Series points title in his second year of competing on the series with 1,600 points. Roddick won a record eight events Los Angeles, Lincoln, Chicago, Austin, Little Rock, Dallas, Richmond and Minneapolis. Blake finished second in the points rankings with 1,200 points, winning events in Boston and Cincinnati. Mark Philippoussis finished in third with 1,100 points, winning titles in Salt Lake City and Vancouver. The year before in 2014, 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.

ABOUT INSIDEOUT SPORTS + ENTERTAINMENT
InsideOut Sports + Entertainment is a Los Angeles based 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 Champions Series, a collection of tournaments featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. In addition, InsideOut produces many other successful events including “Legendary Night” exhibitions, The World Series of Beach Volleyball and numerous corporate outings. Since inception, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment has raised over $4 million for charity. In 2014, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment merged with Horizon Media, the largest privately held media services agency in the world.  For more information, please log on to www.InsideOutSE.com or www.powersharesseries.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

ABOUT HORIZON MEDIA
Horizon Media, Inc. is the largest and fastest growing privately held media services agency in the world. The company was founded in 1989, is headquartered in New York and has offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Chicago. Horizon Media was chosen as 2011 Independent Media Agency of the Year by Mediapost, 2010 U.S. Media Agency of the Year by Adweek, Brandweek, and Mediaweek as well as by Ad Age and as one of the world’s ten most innovative marketing and advertising companies by Fast Company in 2011. In 2012, Bill Koenigsberg, President, CEO and Founder, was honored by Advertising Age as Industry Executive of the Year. Most recently, in 2014, Bill Koenigsberg was named 4As Chair of the Board and is the first person from a media agency to hold this prestigious position in the 100 year history of the 4As, the marketing industry’s leading trade association. The company’s mission is “To create the most meaningful brand connections within the lives of people everywhere.” By delivering on this mission through a holistic approach to brand marketing, Horizon Media has become one of the largest and fastest-growing media agencies in the industry, with estimated billings of over $5.3 billion and over 1,200 employees. The company is also a founding member of Columbus Media International, a multi-national partnership of independent media agencies. For more information, please visit horizonmedia.com.

ABOUT INVESCO POWERSHARES
Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC is leading the Intelligent ETF Revolution® through its lineup of more than 140 domestic and international exchange-traded funds, which seek to outperform traditional benchmark indexes while providing advisors and investors access to an innovative array of focused investment opportunities. With franchise assets of nearly $100 billion as of October 2, 2015, PowerShares ETFs trade on both US stock exchanges. For more information, please visit us at invescopowershares.com or follow us on Twitter @PowerShares.

ABOUT POWERSHARES QQQ
PowerShares QQQ™, an exchange-traded fund (ETF) based on the NASDAQ-100 Index®, is one of the largest and most traded ETFs in the world. Under most circumstances, QQQ will consist of all of the stocks in the index which includes 100 of the largest domestic and international nonfinancial companies listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market based on market capitalization.

Mark Philippoussis
Mark Philippoussis

New PowerShares Series Event At Sherwood Country Club Leads Into PGA Tour’s Champions Tour

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The Sherwood Country Club in Los Angeles will host a new PowerShares Series tennis event Thursday, October 27, the day before the club hosts The PowerShares QQQ Championship, the opening event on the new PGA TOUR’s Champions Tour finale playoff series in the Charles Schwab Cup points race.

Former world No. 1-ranked tennis players Andy Roddick and Jim Courier will join former U.S. Davis Cup standouts James Blake and Mardy Fish in the four-player, one-day tennis event, the SoCal Honda Dealers Helpful Cup Presented by PowerShares QQQ. The Los Angeles event will replace the event originally scheduled to be played in Denver.

The PowerShares QQQ Championship, will start the day after the tennis event at the club’s Jack Nicklaus signature course, where the top 72 players in the Champions Tour standings will compete.

“This is a great marriage between champions tennis and champions golf and will provide for a memorable week of competition and entertainment at Sherwood Country Club,” said Jon Venison, President of InsideOut Sports & Entertainment which owns and operates the PowerShares Series.

The PowerShares Series, the North American circuit for champion tennis players over the age of 30, features 12 events on its 2016 year-long schedule, the Sherwood Country Club event being the 10th event on the Series. Each PowerShares Series event features two one-set semifinal matches and a one-set championship match and, for the second straight year, players make their own line calls with assistance of electronic line-calling.

Through five events so far on the 2016 PowerShares Series, Roddick leads the points rankings with 1,000 points based on victories in Charleston, S.C., and St. Louis, Mo., earning him 400 points for each event victory. Mark Philippoussis holds the No. 2 position with 800 points based on tournament wins in Memphis, Tenn., and Tulsa, Okla. James Blake, the winner of the opening event of 2016 in Chicago, and John McEnroe, the runner-up in Chicago and St. Louis, are tied for third in the current rankings with 600 points.

The remaining 2016 PowerShares Series schedule with player fields are listed below and ticket, schedule and player information can be found at www.PowerSharesSeries.com;

 

July 17                 Newport, R.I. (International Tennis Hall of Fame) – Andy Roddick, James Blake, Marat Safin, Mark Philippoussis

August 21          Winston-Salem, N.C. (Wake Forest University) – Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake, Mardy Fish

August 25, 26  New Haven  (Yale University) – Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, James Blake, Mardy Fish

October 27        Los Angeles (Sherwood Tennis Club) – Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake, Mardy Fish

November 4      Portland, Oregon (Moda Center) –  Andy Roddick, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Mardy Fish

December 1      Orlando (Amway Arena) – Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake

December 3      New York (Barclays Center) – Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake

 

In 2015, Andy Roddick won the PowerShares Series points title in his second year of competing on the series with 1,600 points. Roddick won a record eight events Los Angeles, Lincoln, Chicago, Austin, Little Rock, Dallas, Richmond and Minneapolis. Blake finished second in the points rankings with 1,200 points, winning events in Boston and Cincinnati. Mark Philippoussis finished in third with 1,100 points, winning titles in Salt Lake City and Vancouver. The year before in 2014, 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.

ABOUT INSIDEOUT SPORTS + ENTERTAINMENT
InsideOut Sports + Entertainment is a Los Angeles based 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 Champions Series, a collection of tournaments featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. In addition, InsideOut produces many other successful events including “Legendary Night” exhibitions, The World Series of Beach Volleyball and numerous corporate outings. Since inception, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment has raised over $4 million for charity. In 2014, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment merged with Horizon Media, the largest privately held media services agency in the world.  For more information, please log on to www.InsideOutSE.com or www.powersharesseries.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

ABOUT HORIZON MEDIA
Horizon Media, Inc. is the largest and fastest growing privately held media services agency in the world. The company was founded in 1989, is headquartered in New York and has offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Chicago. Horizon Media was chosen as 2011 Independent Media Agency of the Year by Mediapost, 2010 U.S. Media Agency of the Year by Adweek, Brandweek, and Mediaweek as well as by Ad Age and as one of the world’s ten most innovative marketing and advertising companies by Fast Company in 2011. In 2012, Bill Koenigsberg, President, CEO and Founder, was honored by Advertising Age as Industry Executive of the Year. Most recently, in 2014, Bill Koenigsberg was named 4As Chair of the Board and is the first person from a media agency to hold this prestigious position in the 100 year history of the 4As, the marketing industry’s leading trade association. The company’s mission is “To create the most meaningful brand connections within the lives of people everywhere.” By delivering on this mission through a holistic approach to brand marketing, Horizon Media has become one of the largest and fastest-growing media agencies in the industry, with estimated billings of over $5.3 billion and over 1,200 employees. The company is also a founding member of Columbus Media International, a multi-national partnership of independent media agencies. For more information, please visit horizonmedia.com.

ABOUT INVESCO POWERSHARES
Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC is leading the Intelligent ETF Revolution® through its lineup of more than 140 domestic and international exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which seek to outperform traditional benchmark indexes while providing advisors and investors access to an innovative array of focused investment opportunities. With US franchise assets of approximately $94 billion as of March 31, 2016, PowerShares ETFs trade on both US stock exchanges. For more information, please visit us atinvescopowershares.com or follow us on Twitter @PowerShares.

ABOUT POWERSHARES QQQ
PowerShares QQQ™, an exchange-traded fund (ETF) based on the NASDAQ-100 Index®, is one of the largest and most traded ETFs in the world. Under most circumstances, QQQ will consist of all of the stocks in the index which includes 100 of the largest domestic and international nonfinancial companies listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market based on market capitalization.

PowerShares Series
PowerShares Series

Andy Murray Wins Record Fifth Title at Queen’s Club – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Andy Murray beat Milos Raonic 6-7 (5) 6-4 6-3 to win the Aegon Championships in London, Great Britain

Florian Mayer beat Alexander Zverev 6-2 5-7 6-3 to win the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany

Madison Keys beat Barbora Strycova 6-3 6-4 to win the Aegon Classic in Birmingham, Great Britain

Caroline Garcia beat Anastasija Sevastova 6-3 6-4 to win the Mallorca Open in Mallorca, Spain

Dominic Thiem beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-7 (2) 6-4 6-4 to win the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, Germany

Nicolas Mahut beat Gilles Muller 6-4 6-4 to win the Ricoh Open men’s singles in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands

 

SAYING

“To win here for a fifth time means a lot to me.” – Andy Murray, who became the first man to win five times at Queen’s Club.

“Congratulations to Andy for winning this tournament for a fifth time, but I’m sure it’s not nearly as special as having your first Fathers’ Day as well.” – Milos Raonic, after losing to Andy Murray in the Aegon Championships final.

“Playing a final is always special, but this was different. … I know winning a title doesn’t happen every week.” – Nicolas Mahut, after winning the Ricoh Open for the third time.

“For now, this is my best season. When you win your first title, you never know if you’ll win another. It was a dream to win my first, and now I have three, plus the French Open in doubles. The work I’m doing with my team is definitely paying off.” – Carolina Garcia, after winning the Mallorca Open.

“I played really good tennis in all my matches. Against Roger obviously it was a great highlight. Unfortunately, it had to end like this. But it happens. This is tennis. You can’t change it now.” – Alexander Zverev, who beat Roger Federer in the semifinals in Halle, Germany, only to lose the final to Florian Mayer.

“It was great to be back here and playing in Spain, and especially in my first tournament (since winning the French Open) it was even more special. Hopefully next year it will be better.” – Garbiñe Muguruza, after losing her first match on grass at the Mallorca Open.

“She’s no flash in the pan. She’s had to do it in her time, but now she’s ready.” Chris Evert, noting that Madison Keys could be a factor at Wimbledon.

“It was nice of Ivan to stick around for the presentation.” – Andy Murray, joking about his new coach, Ivan Lendl, who left immediately after Murray won at Queen’s Club for a record fifth time.

“It feels absolutely unreal because I came here without any expectations basically, and I’m pretty sure that it’s the most special title for me.” – Dominic Thiem, who won the Mercedes Cup, upsetting Roger Federer on his way to the final.

“It’s much better. I served normally last week, served a lot of aces and also quite a few into the net because I haven’t found my rhythm yet. But at the end it was quite good. I was happy.” – Roger Federer, talking about his back, which forced him to miss the French Open.

“I love hardcourts. A lot of people think my favorite surface is grass, but actually I grew up on hardcourts, so I prefer that. I feel right at home one it.” – Venus Williams.

 

SETS QUEEN’S CLUB MARK

For the fifth time in his career, Andy Murray has won at Queen’s Club. That snaps a record of four titles he shared with Boris Becker, Roy Emerson and John McEnroe. But there were shaky moments. With McEnroe as one of his coaches, Canadian Milos Raonic won the opening set and took a 3-0 lead in the second. Murray, though, wasn’t to be denied. A blistering cross-court service return in the fifth game allowed Murray to finally break Roanic’s moment. After that, it was the Scot who was in charge the rest of the way, winning his first tournament since Ivan Lendl returned as his coach. “This tournament has loads of history … it’s a pleasure to play in front of someone like John (McEnroe) … and any time you can do something a bit better than someone like him, it’s an amazing feeling,” Murray said during the presentation ceremony. The tournament has been played since 1890. Murray’s previous titles came in 2009, ’11, ’13 and ’15.

 

SIZZLING

Florian Mayer picked the right time to get hot. Ranked 192nd in the world, Mayer defeated his German compatriot Alexander Zverev to win the Gerry Weber Open. The 32-year-old is the lowest-ranked champion in the 24-year history of the Wimbledon warm-up event. “I would say it’s the biggest win in my career to win a 500 event here in Germany on grass,” said Mayer, who was ranked in the Top 30 before his career was interrupted by an adductor injury. His second career title – he won Bucharest in 2013 – was clinched on his fifth match point. “I had a hard time with so many injuries and not playing tournaments,” Mayer said. So it’s a special moment now for me to come back and win a 500 tournament. It helps a lot to be back in the Top 100 also.” Both finalists pulled off big upsets in the semifinals. The 19-year-old Zverev knocked off defending champion Roger Federer while Mayer stunned seventh-ranked Dominic Thiem. “It was a positive week,” Zverev said.

 

SHOWING HER POWER

Madison Keys is happy, which could spell trouble for the rest of the players on the WTA tour. The American had no problems defeating Czech veteran Barbora Strycova to capture the grass-court Birmingham title. “I love this surface, so the longer I am on it, the happier I am,” Keys said after collecting her second WTA trophy. Seeded seventh, Keys put on display her best match of the week against the unseeded Strycova, who was playing in her second Birmingham final in three years. The 21-year-old champion made more errors in the second set, allowing Strycova to use her tenacity and stamina to threaten to turn the match around. But while Strycova had three break points early in the second set and a fourth break point in the eighth game, Keys simply overpowered her opponent to come away with the victory.

 

SUPER TEENS

Germany’s Alexander Zverev joined a small list of young players who could be the next group to dominate tennis when he upset Roger Federer at the Gerry Weber Open 7-6 (4) 5-7 6-3. The 19-year-old Zverev is the first teenager to defeat Federer since then-19-year-old Andy Murray pulled off the feat 10 years ago in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Zverev also is the first teen to knock off a Top 5 opponent since 18-year-old Borna Coric stopped Murray in Dubai last year. Coric was a year younger when he beat Rafael Nadal in Basel, Switzerland, in 2014, and Nick Kyrgios was 19 when he upset Nadal at Wimbledon the same year. Federer failed to reach the final in Halle for the first time in 11 consecutive appearances. The Swiss star was bidding for an unprecedented ninth title.

 

SELECT COMPANY

When he captured the rain-interrupted Mercedes Cup, Dominic Thiem became only the 29th man in the Open Era and the ninth active player to win titles on three different surfaces in the same year. His grass-court win in Stuttgart, Germany, followed a clay court title in Buenos Aires, Argentina; a clay-court win in Nice France, and a hard-court trophy in Acapulco, Mexico. Thiem captured his seventh ATP World Tour crown by stopping Philipp Kohlschreiber. When their match was halted by rain on Sunday, Kohlschreiber was leading 3-2 in the first-set tiebreak. “I didn’t play that well on grass over the past two years, and this tournament was so strong,” Thiem said. “I’m the winner here, I really cannot believe it.” On his way to the final, Thiem upset Roger Federer. He has won an ATP World Tour-best 45 matches this season.

 

SPECIAL WIN

Nicolas Mahut has a love affair with the Ricoh Open. The Frenchman stopped Gilles Muller of Luxembourg in a rain-delayed final to win the grass-court tournament for the third time. He last won the ‘s-Hertogenbosch title in 2013, the same year he won another grass-court event in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. “Getting the trophy is the most important thing,” Mahut said. “Winning the tournament (singles title) as the world number one in doubles is really special.” Mahut, who entered the tournament with a wild card, won his 60th career grass-court match in the rain-delayed final.

 

STEPS UP

By reaching the final of the Aegon Classic Birmingham, Madison Keys grabbed a spot in the WTA Top 10. She had been ranked 16th in the world going into the grass-court tournament. There have been 118 different players who have achieved a Top 10 ranking since the WTA rankings were introduced in 1975, and 27 of those have been Americans. But Key is the first American to reach the Top 10 since Serena Williams did so 17 years ago on April 5, 1999. Other Americans to break into the Top 10 in the last 25 years were Venus Williams in 1998, Chanda Rubin in 1996 and Lindsay Davenport in 1994. Since Serena and Venus are already in the Top 10, the entry into the select group by Keys makes it the first time since September 2005 that three Americans are in the WTA Top 10. That was when Davenport was ranked second, Venus seventh and Serena ninth.

 

SEPPI MILESTONE

When Andreas Seppi upset David Ferrer 6-3 6-4 at the Gerry Weber Open, it was his 300th match win. “For me, I never thought at the beginning of my career to go so far,” the 32-year-old Italian said. “I’m pretty happy to do it here in Halle (Germany). It’s a special tournament for me, especially beating Ferrer after being 0-9 in head-to-head. It was for sure a great day for me.”

 

SELECTED TOGETHER

It was not the return home Garbiñe Muguruza was hoping for. Playing her first match since winning the French Open, Muguruza was upset 6-3 6-4 by Kirsten Flipkens at the Mallorca Open. “I think it was very tough,” the Spaniard said, noting she couldn’t get comfortable on the grass court after capturing the clay-court Grand Slam event. “I barely had time to actually practice and enjoy the tournament. I wanted to play Mallorca so much and I tried, but then I went to the court and obviously I couldn’t find my rhythm.” Muguruza won her first major title in Paris by upsetting top-ranked Serena Williams in the final.

 

STRAIGHT IN

Lleyton Hewitt retired at the Australian Open in January, didn’t he? Apparently not in doubles. The former world number one and 2002 Wimbledon champion will return to the All England Club to play doubles with fellow Australian Jordan Thompson. Five other doubles teams received wild card entry into the main draw, including Kyle Edmund and James Ward, along with 2012 doubles champion Jonathan Marray and Adil Shamasdin.

Wimbledon officials also announced six of the eight men to receive wild cards into the singles main draw. They are Dustin Brown, Radek Stepanek, Liam Broady, Brydan Klein, Alexander Ward and James Ward.

 

SIGNED UP

In order to prepare for the Rio Olympic Games, Venus Williams will play the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, USA, which begins one week after Wimbledon. It will be Venus’ third appearance in Stanford in the last decade. “The Olympics is such a highlight, but at the same time it’s important to play tournaments so you can continue with success on the tour,” Williams said. “Also for me, it’s making sure I have a little bit of a break. This year I’ve been very successful. I will be starting out with Bank of the West, then playing one more event, then heading off to Rio is my plan.” The elder Williams sister is also entered in the Rogers Cup in Montreal. The Olympics tennis event is scheduled to be held from August 6-14.

 

SURFACE SWITCH

Switching from clay to grass? No problem. Just ask Caroline Garcia, who won her second title of 2016, the inaugural Mallorca Open where she stopped Anastasija Sevastova in the final. “I’m glad to win any tournament. It doesn’t matter what surface,” Garcia said. “When I arrived here it was my first tournament on grass this year, so I wasn’t expecting to go this far or win the trophy. It’s a great achievement after a long and difficult week, so I’m happy to be the winner.” She did it by besting Sevastova, who was ranked 36th in the world before injuries and illnesses forced her to briefly retire. The Latvian returned to the Top 100 earlier this year. All of that didn’t bother Garcia, who broke serve four times in the 85-minute finale. “It gives me a lot of confidence to head to Wimbledon with a title,” the Frenchwoman said. “I’d never played on grass with a lot of pleasure, but I think this week it changed a lot. Grass is a very difficult surface for everyone, but now that I’ve won one, maybe I’m a favorite (at Wimbledon), but a far-away favorite.”

 

STRAIGHT TO THE BANK

Austria’s Alexander Peya joined a select group when he teamed with Poland’s Lukasz Kubot to win their semifinal doubles match at the Gerry Weber Open. It was Peya’s 300th tour-level doubles win. In 2013, Peya was ranked a career-high third in the world in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings. The pair lost the title match to Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram.

 

SENTENCE APPEALED

Maria Sharapova’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) seeking to have her two-year drug suspension thrown out or reduced has been put on a fast track. The CAS is expected to issue its decision no later than July 18. An independent tribunal appointed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) found that Sharapova had committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation and suspended her for two years.

 

SANIA TOPS LIST

Sania Mirza has been selected as the Best Dress Sportsperson. In the survey conducted by an online ethnic marketplace, Craftsvilla.com, to celebrate World Ethnic Day and the crafts of India, Mirza received 62.9 percent of the votes. The online polls were open to customers of Craftsvilla.com from May 20 to June 5. Badminton star Saina Nehwal was second with 18.8 percent of the votes, followed by squash player Deepika Pallikal.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Birmingham: Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strycova beat Vania King and Alla Kudryavtseva 6-3 7-6 (1)

Halle: Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram beat Lukasz Kubot and Alexander Peya 7-6 (5) 6-2

London: Pierre-Hughes Herbert and Nicolas Mahut beat Chris Guccione and Andre Sa 6-3 7-6 (5)

Mallorca: Gabriela Dabrowski and Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez beat Anna-Lena Friedsam and Laura Siegemund 6-4 6-2

 

SURFING

Eastbourne: www.lta.org.uk/major-events/Aegon-International-Eastbourne/

Nottingham: www.lta.org.uk/major-events/aegon-open-nottingham/

Wimbledon: www.wimbledon.com/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

 

MEN

$724,528 Aegon Open Nottingham, Nottingham, Great Britain, grass

 

WOMEN

$731,000 Aegon International Eastbourne, Eastbourne, Great Britain, grass

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN and WOMEN

Wimbledon, London, Great Britain, grass (first week)

 

Andy Murray
Andy Murray

Philippoussis Goes 2-For-2 On 2016 PowerShares Series With Win In Tulsa

by

Mark Philippoussis won his second PowerShares Series title in as many nights Saturday, defeating both Andy Roddick and Jim Courier for a second straight night to win the Tulsa Championships at the BOK Center in Tulsa.

Philippoussis, who won in Memphis in his 2016 PowerShares Series debut the previous night, beat Courier 6-3 in the one-set championship match to earn his sixth career title on the North American circuit for champion tennis players over the age of 30.  To advance to the final, Philippoussis beat Roddick 6-3, one night after beating him 7-5 in the semifinal match in Memphis.

Philippoussis broke Courier in the second game of the set and was never threatened on serve in the match. Against Roddick, he dug himself out of a 0-40 hole in his first service game and broke serve in the eight game to forge his way to victory.

Courier advanced to the championship match with a 7-5 win over John McEnroe.

Each PowerShares Series event features two one-set semifinal matches and a one-set championship match and, for the second straight year, players make their own line calls with assistance of electronic line-calling.

The remaining 2016 PowerShares Series schedule with player fields are listed below and ticket, schedule and player information can be found at www.PowerSharesSeries.com;

 

July 17                  Newport, R.I. (International Tennis Hall of Fame) – Andy Roddick, James Blake, Marat Safin, + 1 TBA

August 21             Winston-Salem, N.C. (Wake Forest University) – Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake, Mardy Fish

August 25, 26       New Haven (Yale University) – Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, James Blake, Mardy Fish

November 4          Portland, Oregon (Moda Center) –  Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, Mardy Fish and TBA

November 5         Denver (1stBank Center) – Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake and TBA

December 1          Orlando (Amway Arena) – Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake

December 3          New York (Barclays Center) – Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake

 

In 2015, Andy Roddick won the PowerShares Series points title in his second year of competing on the series with 1,600 points. Roddick won a record eight events Los Angeles, Lincoln, Chicago, Austin, Little Rock, Dallas, Richmond and Minneapolis. Blake finished second in the points rankings with 1,200 points, winning events in Boston and Cincinnati. Mark Philippoussis finished in third with 1,100 points, winning titles in Salt Lake City and Vancouver. The year before in 2014, 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.

ABOUT INSIDEOUT SPORTS + ENTERTAINMENT

InsideOut Sports + Entertainment is a Los Angeles based 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 Champions Series, a collection of tournaments featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. In addition, InsideOut produces many other successful events including “Legendary Night” exhibitions, The World Series of Beach Volleyball and numerous corporate outings. Since inception, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment has raised over $4 million for charity. In 2014, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment merged with Horizon Media, the largest privately held media services agency in the world.  For more information, please log on to www.InsideOutSE.com or www.powersharesseries.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

ABOUT HORIZON MEDIA

Horizon Media, Inc. is the largest and fastest growing privately held media services agency in the world. The company was founded in 1989, is headquartered in New York and has offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Chicago. Horizon Media was chosen as 2011 Independent Media Agency of the Year by Mediapost, 2010 U.S. Media Agency of the Year by Adweek, Brandweek, and Mediaweek as well as by Ad Age and as one of the world’s ten most innovative marketing and advertising companies by Fast Company in 2011. In 2012, Bill Koenigsberg, President, CEO and Founder, was honored by Advertising Age as Industry Executive of the Year. Most recently, in 2014, Bill Koenigsberg was named 4As Chair of the Board and is the first person from a media agency to hold this prestigious position in the 100 year history of the 4As, the marketing industry’s leading trade association. The company’s mission is “To create the most meaningful brand connections within the lives of people everywhere.” By delivering on this mission through a holistic approach to brand marketing, Horizon Media has become one of the largest and fastest-growing media agencies in the industry, with estimated billings of over $5.3 billion and over 1,200 employees. The company is also a founding member of Columbus Media International, a multi-national partnership of independent media agencies. For more information, please visit horizonmedia.com.

ABOUT INVESCO POWERSHARES

Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC is leading the Intelligent ETF Revolution® through its lineup of more than 140 domestic and international exchange-traded funds, which seek to outperform traditional benchmark indexes while providing advisors and investors access to an innovative array of focused investment opportunities. With franchise assets of nearly $100 billion as of October 2, 2015, PowerShares ETFs trade on both US stock exchanges. For more information, please visit us at invescopowershares.com or follow us on Twitter @PowerShares.

ABOUT POWERSHARES QQQ

PowerShares QQQ™, an exchange-traded fund (ETF) based on the NASDAQ-100 Index®, is one of the largest and most traded ETFs in the world. Under most circumstances, QQQ will consist of all of the stocks in the index which includes 100 of the largest domestic and international nonfinancial companies listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market based on market capitalization.

 

Mark Philippoussis
Mark Philippoussis

Philippoussis Kicks Off 2016 PowerShares Series With A Bang With Memphis Win

by

Mark Philippoussis made his 2016 PowerShares Series debut Friday night beating Andy Roddick and Jim Courier back-to-back to win the Champions Showdown Memphis title at the Landers Center in Southaven, Miss.

Philippoussis upset Roddick 7-5 in the opening one-set semifinal match, becoming only the second player to ever beat Roddick on the PowerShares Series. He then beat Courier 6-3 in the one-set championship match to win his fifth career title on the North American tennis circuit for champion tennis players.

“I had good rhythm,” said Phillippoussis of his winning evening. “I was connecting on my groundstrokes and the serve was there. I had a lot of fun out there.”

Philippoussis won the first and final PowerShares Series titles in 2015, beating Andre Agassi in the final of Salt Lake City in the opening event of the Series, then capped the season in Vancouver in the Series finale, defeating Pete Sampras in the final. He also won titles in 2010 in Boston and Surprise, Arizona.

His semifinal upset of Roddick was described by some observers as the best on the Series in a long time, maybe ever, as two of the fastest servers in the history of tennis exchanged blistering serves and rocket forehands in a display of tennis reminiscent of their ATP World Tour days. Roddick took an early 3-1 lead but Philippoussis was able rally back from 3-3. Philippoussis saved two break points at 4-4 with a service winner and an ace before holding and eventually breaking Roddick’s serve to close out the upset victory.

Philippoussis joins James Blake as the only players to defeating Roddick on the PowerShares Series, Blake beating Roddick in the semifinals of Houston in 2014 and last year in the semifinals of Boston and Cincinnati.

To advance to the final, Courier defeated John McEnroe 6-4.

Each PowerShares Series event features two one-set semifinal matches and a one-set championship match and, for the second straight year, players make their own line calls with assistance of electronic line-calling.

The remaining 2016 PowerShares Series schedule with player fields are listed below and ticket, schedule and player information can be found at www.PowerSharesSeries.com;

 

April 23                Tulsa (BOK Center) – John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, Mark Philippoussis

July 17                  Newport, R.I. (International Tennis Hall of Fame) – Andy Roddick, James Blake, Marat Safin, + 1 TBA

August 21             Winston-Salem, N.C. (Wake Forest University) – Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake, Mardy Fish

August 25, 26       New Haven (Yale University) – Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, James Blake, Mardy Fish

November 4          Portland, Oregon (Moda Center) –  Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, Mardy Fish and TBA

November 5         Denver (1stBank Center) – Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake and TBA

December 1          Orlando (Amway Arena) – Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake

December 3          New York (Barclays Center) – Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake

 

In 2015, Andy Roddick won the PowerShares Series points title in his second year of competing on the series with 1,600 points. Roddick won a record eight events Los Angeles, Lincoln, Chicago, Austin, Little Rock, Dallas, Richmond and Minneapolis. Blake finished second in the points rankings with 1,200 points, winning events in Boston and Cincinnati. Mark Philippoussis finished in third with 1,100 points, winning titles in Salt Lake City and Vancouver. The year before in 2014, 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.

ABOUT INSIDEOUT SPORTS + ENTERTAINMENT

InsideOut Sports + Entertainment is a Los Angeles based 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 Champions Series, a collection of tournaments featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. In addition, InsideOut produces many other successful events including “Legendary Night” exhibitions, The World Series of Beach Volleyball and numerous corporate outings. Since inception, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment has raised over $4 million for charity. In 2014, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment merged with Horizon Media, the largest privately held media services agency in the world.  For more information, please log on to www.InsideOutSE.com or www.powersharesseries.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

ABOUT HORIZON MEDIA

Horizon Media, Inc. is the largest and fastest growing privately held media services agency in the world. The company was founded in 1989, is headquartered in New York and has offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Chicago. Horizon Media was chosen as 2011 Independent Media Agency of the Year by Mediapost, 2010 U.S. Media Agency of the Year by Adweek, Brandweek, and Mediaweek as well as by Ad Age and as one of the world’s ten most innovative marketing and advertising companies by Fast Company in 2011. In 2012, Bill Koenigsberg, President, CEO and Founder, was honored by Advertising Age as Industry Executive of the Year. Most recently, in 2014, Bill Koenigsberg was named 4As Chair of the Board and is the first person from a media agency to hold this prestigious position in the 100 year history of the 4As, the marketing industry’s leading trade association. The company’s mission is “To create the most meaningful brand connections within the lives of people everywhere.” By delivering on this mission through a holistic approach to brand marketing, Horizon Media has become one of the largest and fastest-growing media agencies in the industry, with estimated billings of over $5.3 billion and over 1,200 employees. The company is also a founding member of Columbus Media International, a multi-national partnership of independent media agencies. For more information, please visit horizonmedia.com.

ABOUT INVESCO POWERSHARES

Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC is leading the Intelligent ETF Revolution® through its lineup of more than 140 domestic and international exchange-traded funds, which seek to outperform traditional benchmark indexes while providing advisors and investors access to an innovative array of focused investment opportunities. With franchise assets of nearly $100 billion as of October 2, 2015, PowerShares ETFs trade on both US stock exchanges. For more information, please visit us at invescopowershares.com or follow us on Twitter @PowerShares.

ABOUT POWERSHARES QQQ

PowerShares QQQ™, an exchange-traded fund (ETF) based on the NASDAQ-100 Index®, is one of the largest and most traded ETFs in the world. Under most circumstances, QQQ will consist of all of the stocks in the index which includes 100 of the largest domestic and international nonfinancial companies listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market based on market capitalization.

 

Mark Philippoussis
Mark Philippoussis

Andy Roddick Has Now Won 12 of 15 Events He’s Played On The PowerShares Series

by

Andy Roddick defeated John McEnroe 6-3 in the one-set final of the Champions Classic St. Louis Thursday at the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, the third event on the 2016 PowerShares Series tennis circuit.

“St. Louis is a great stop for us,” said Roddick after his victory. “This has always been a great tennis town.”

The win was Roddick’s 12th career title on the PowerShares Series, the North American tennis circuit for champion tennis players over the age of 30. Roddick, 33, has won 12 of 15 career PowerShares Series events since he ended his ATP World Tour career at the 2012 U.S. Open. He dominated the PowerShares Series in 2015, winning a single-season record eight titles. In his debut year on the Series in 2014, he won two of the three tournaments he played. Last Saturday in Charleston, S.C., Roddick won his debut event of the 2016 season with a 6-1 final-round win over Andre Agassi.

Earlier Thursday night, Roddick beat in his former Davis Cup teammate James Blake 6-2 to advance to the final. McEnroe defeated Jim Courier 7-6 (5) in the other semifinal.

“It’s always a pleasure to play James and Johnny Mac is still playing well,” said Roddick. “It’s a blast for me to play these events.”

Each PowerShares Series event features two one-set semifinal matches and a one-set championship match and, for the second straight year, players make their own line calls with assistance of electronic line-calling.

The remaining 2016 PowerShares Series schedule with player fields are listed below and ticket, schedule and player information can be found at www.PowerSharesSeries.com;

April 22                Memphis (Landers Center) – John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, Mark Philippoussis

April 23                Tulsa (BOK Center) – John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, Mark Philippoussis

July 17                  Newport, R.I. (International Tennis Hall of Fame) – Andy Roddick, James Blake + 2 Players TBA

August 21             Winston-Salem, N.C. (Wake Forest University) – Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake, Mardy Fish

August 25, 26       New Haven (Yale University) – Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, James Blake, Mardy Fish

November 4          Portland, Oregon (Moda Center) –  Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, Mardy Fish and TBA

November 5         Denver (1stBank Center) – Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake and TBA

December 1          Orlando (Amway Arena) – Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake

December 3          New York (Barclays Center) – Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake

 

In 2015, Andy Roddick won the PowerShares Series points title in his second year of competing on the series with 1,600 points. Roddick won a record eight events Los Angeles, Lincoln, Chicago, Austin, Little Rock, Dallas, Richmond and Minneapolis. Blake finished second in the points rankings with 1,200 points, winning events in Boston and Cincinnati. Mark Philippoussis finished in third with 1,100 points, winning titles in Salt Lake City and Vancouver. The year before in 2014, 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.

ABOUT INSIDEOUT SPORTS + ENTERTAINMENT

InsideOut Sports + Entertainment is a Los Angeles based 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 Champions Series, a collection of tournaments featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. In addition, InsideOut produces many other successful events including “Legendary Night” exhibitions, The World Series of Beach Volleyball and numerous corporate outings. Since inception, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment has raised over $4 million for charity. In 2014, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment merged with Horizon Media, the largest privately held media services agency in the world.  For more information, please log on to www.InsideOutSE.com or www.powersharesseries.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

ABOUT HORIZON MEDIA

Horizon Media, Inc. is the largest and fastest growing privately held media services agency in the world. The company was founded in 1989, is headquartered in New York and has offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Chicago. Horizon Media was chosen as 2011 Independent Media Agency of the Year by Mediapost, 2010 U.S. Media Agency of the Year by Adweek, Brandweek, and Mediaweek as well as by Ad Age and as one of the world’s ten most innovative marketing and advertising companies by Fast Company in 2011. In 2012, Bill Koenigsberg, President, CEO and Founder, was honored by Advertising Age as Industry Executive of the Year. Most recently, in 2014, Bill Koenigsberg was named 4As Chair of the Board and is the first person from a media agency to hold this prestigious position in the 100 year history of the 4As, the marketing industry’s leading trade association. The company’s mission is “To create the most meaningful brand connections within the lives of people everywhere.” By delivering on this mission through a holistic approach to brand marketing, Horizon Media has become one of the largest and fastest-growing media agencies in the industry, with estimated billings of over $5.3 billion and over 1,200 employees. The company is also a founding member of Columbus Media International, a multi-national partnership of independent media agencies. For more information, please visit horizonmedia.com.

ABOUT INVESCO POWERSHARES

Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC is leading the Intelligent ETF Revolution® through its lineup of more than 140 domestic and international exchange-traded funds, which seek to outperform traditional benchmark indexes while providing advisors and investors access to an innovative array of focused investment opportunities. With franchise assets of nearly $100 billion as of October 2, 2015, PowerShares ETFs trade on both US stock exchanges. For more information, please visit us at invescopowershares.com or follow us on Twitter @PowerShares.

ABOUT POWERSHARES QQQ

PowerShares QQQ™, an exchange-traded fund (ETF) based on the NASDAQ-100 Index®, is one of the largest and most traded ETFs in the world. Under most circumstances, QQQ will consist of all of the stocks in the index which includes 100 of the largest domestic and international nonfinancial companies listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market based on market capitalization.

Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick

James Blake Beats John McEnroe In 2016 PowerShares Series Opener In Chicago

by

James Blake won the opening event on the 2016 PowerShares Series tennis circuit Friday defeating John McEnroe 6-4 in the one-set championship match at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago.

The tournament win was the fifth career title for Blake on the North American tennis circuit for champion tennis players over the age of 30. All four previous titles for Blake also came beating McEnroe in the final  – in Salt Lake City in 2014 (7-6), Sacramento in 2014 (6-3), Boston in 2015 (7-5) and Cincinnati in 2015 (6-2).

Blake, 36, broke McEnroe in his first service game of the match and never looked back in the final, serving at a high percentage on the slick indoor court. McEnroe, who turned 57 on February 16, returned to the UIC Pavilion 25 years after he won his 77th and final ATP singles titles of his career there in a memorable final against younger brother Patrick McEnroe in 1991. He opened the 10th anniversary season of the PowerShares Series by beating Mardy Fish 7-6 (3) in the opening semifinal match, saving a match point serving at 4-5. Fish, 34, was playing in his debut PowerShares Series event and as a replacement for an injured Jim Courier. Blake advanced into the final with a 6-3 win over Andre Agassi.

Each PowerShares Series event features two one-set semifinal matches and a one-set championship match and, for the second straight year, players make their own line calls with assistance of electronic line-calling.

The remaining 2016 PowerShares Series schedule with player fields are listed below and ticket, schedule and player information can be found at www.PowerSharesSeries.com;

April 9                  Charleston (Family Circle Tennis Center) – Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, James Blake, Mardy Fish

April 14                St. Louis (Chaifetz Arena) – John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake

April 22                Memphis (Landers Center) – John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, Mark Philippoussis

April 23                Tulsa (BOK Center) – John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, Mark Philippoussis

July 17                  Newport, R.I. (International Tennis Hall of Fame) – Andy Roddick, James Blake + 2 Players TBA

August 21             Winston-Salem, N.C. (Wake Forest University) – Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake, Mardy Fish

August 25, 26       New Haven (Yale University) – Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, James Blake, Mardy Fish

November 4          Portland, Oregon (Moda Center) –  Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, Mardy Fish and TBA

November 5         Denver (1stBank Center) – Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake and TBA

December 1          Orlando (Amway Arena) – Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake

December 3          New York (Barclays Center) – Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, James Blake

 

In 2015, Andy Roddick won the PowerShares Series points title in his second year of competing on the series with 1,600 points. Roddick won a record eight events Los Angeles, Lincoln, Chicago, Austin, Little Rock, Dallas, Richmond and Minneapolis. Blake finished second in the points rankings with 1,200 points, winning events in Boston and Cincinnati. Mark Philippoussis finished in third with 1,100 points, winning titles in Salt Lake City and Vancouver. The year before in 2014, 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.

ABOUT INSIDEOUT SPORTS + ENTERTAINMENT

InsideOut Sports + Entertainment is a Los Angeles based 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 Champions Series, a collection of tournaments featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. In addition, InsideOut produces many other successful events including “Legendary Night” exhibitions, The World Series of Beach Volleyball and numerous corporate outings. Since inception, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment has raised over $4 million for charity. In 2014, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment merged with Horizon Media, the largest privately held media services agency in the world.  For more information, please log on to www.InsideOutSE.com or www.powersharesseries.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

ABOUT HORIZON MEDIA

Horizon Media, Inc. is the largest and fastest growing privately held media services agency in the world. The company was founded in 1989, is headquartered in New York and has offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Chicago. Horizon Media was chosen as 2011 Independent Media Agency of the Year by Mediapost, 2010 U.S. Media Agency of the Year by Adweek, Brandweek, and Mediaweek as well as by Ad Age and as one of the world’s ten most innovative marketing and advertising companies by Fast Company in 2011. In 2012, Bill Koenigsberg, President, CEO and Founder, was honored by Advertising Age as Industry Executive of the Year. Most recently, in 2014, Bill Koenigsberg was named 4As Chair of the Board and is the first person from a media agency to hold this prestigious position in the 100 year history of the 4As, the marketing industry’s leading trade association. The company’s mission is “To create the most meaningful brand connections within the lives of people everywhere.” By delivering on this mission through a holistic approach to brand marketing, Horizon Media has become one of the largest and fastest-growing media agencies in the industry, with estimated billings of over $5.3 billion and over 1,200 employees. The company is also a founding member of Columbus Media International, a multi-national partnership of independent media agencies. For more information, please visit horizonmedia.com.

ABOUT INVESCO POWERSHARES

Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC is leading the Intelligent ETF Revolution® through its lineup of more than 140 domestic and international exchange-traded funds, which seek to outperform traditional benchmark indexes while providing advisors and investors access to an innovative array of focused investment opportunities. With franchise assets of nearly $100 billion as of October 2, 2015, PowerShares ETFs trade on both US stock exchanges. For more information, please visit us at invescopowershares.com or follow us on Twitter @PowerShares.

ABOUT POWERSHARES QQQ

PowerShares QQQ™, an exchange-traded fund (ETF) based on the NASDAQ-100 Index®, is one of the largest and most traded ETFs in the world. Under most circumstances, QQQ will consist of all of the stocks in the index which includes 100 of the largest domestic and international nonfinancial companies listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market based on market capitalization.

 

James Blake
James Blake