A former World No.1 stands in the way of a former World No.1 reaching the final where another former World No.1 will be waiting - it is what the BlackRock Tour of Champions is all about.

Pete Sampras and Thomas Muster both topped the ATP rankings in the 1990’s, and they will face each other in the final round-robin match at the BlackRock Tour of Champions event in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Saturday. If Sampras wins, a mouth-watering final clash with Marcelo Rios surely awaits.

Boths Sampras and Rios have won their two group matches to-date, with Sampras serving and volleying his way past Marc-Kevin Goellner for a 6-3, 6-4 victory on Friday, and Rios crushing Jaime Oncins 6-2, 6-1.

“I was happy with my level of play today,” said Sampras.

“I definitely felt a bit more comfortable out there, serving and volleying more than yesterday. I also feel more adapted to the court. I have a tough match tomorrow against Muster that I will be looking to win to reach the final on Sunday.”

The American won nine of his eleven meetings against Muster during their careers, and will head into their round-robin clash as the favourite. Muster has been struggling this week. He lost 6-3, 6-3 to Brazil’s Fernando Meligeni on Friday, and said:

“I was not hitting the ball well. I think it has to do with the altitude of Sao Paulo. But Fernando played a great match and deserved to win.”

Rios, meanwhile, was in irresistable form, and now needs to defeat Jaime Yzaga to reach the final.

“I’m getting used to the court and I believe I played better than yesterday. I just hope I can play like this tomorrow and advance to the final,” he said.

For the latest results and reports: http://www.blackrocktourofchampions.com/

For a video review of each day: http://www.grandchampions.com.br/

And to see what Sampras thinks of Roger Federer’s chances of winning a sixth straight Wimbledon, click here

RESULTS, FRIDAY 20TH JUNE, 2008

Andrei Cherkasov d Jaime Yzaga 6-3, 6-2

Fernando Meligeni d Thomas Muster 6-3, 6-2

Marcelo Rios d Jaime Oncins 6-2, 6-1

Pete Sampras d. Marc Goellner 6-3, 6-4

LATEST GROUP STANDINGS

GROUP THOMAZ KOCH

Pete Sampras                      2-0 (4-1)

Marc Goellner                      1-1 (2-2)

Fernando Meligeni              1-1 (3-2)

Thomas Muster                    0-2 (0-4)

GROUP CARLOS KIRMAYR

Marcelo Rios                        2-0 (4-0)

Jaime Oncins                        1-1 (2-2)

Andrei Cherkasov               1-1 (2-2)

Jaime Yzaga                                         0-2 (0-4)

ORDER OF PLAY, SATURDAY 21ST JUNE, 2008

17h00

Andrei Cherkasov vs. Jaime Oncins

18h30

Fernando Meligeni vs. Marc Goellner

20h00

Jaime Yzaga vs. Marcelo Rios

21h30

Pete Sampras vs. Thomas Muster

SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS 2008 TOUR OF CHAMPIONS RANKINGS (after four events)

POS.       PLAYER                                                PTS

1              Michael Stich                        650

2              Anders Jarryd                       525

3              Marcelo Rios                        400

4              Pat Cash                                               340

5=           Thomas Muster                    330

5=           Mikael Pernfors                   330

7              Goran Ivanisevic                  260

8              Marc-Kevin Goellner (WC)                250

9              Henri Leconte                      240

10=         Chris Wilkinson (WC)         200

10=         Cedric Pioline                 200

12=         Jeremy Bates (WC)             125

12=         Albert Costa                          125

14=         Sergi Bruguera               80

14=         Magnus Larsson                  80

14=         John McEnroe                       80

17=         Bjorn Borg                                             60

17=         Carl Uwe Steeb                   60          

WC denotes Wild Card.

The BlackRock Tour of Champions Calendar 2008

Belfast, Northern Ireland - February 21-24   (Tennis Legends) - Champions: Anders Jarryd; Runner-up: Mikael Pernfors

Barcelona, Spain - April 24-27 (Champions Cup ‘08) - Champion: Marcelo Rios; runner-up: Michael Stich

Rome, Italy - May 10-11 - Champion: Thomas Muster; runner-up: Goran Ivanisevic

Hamburg, Germany - May 14-17 (BlackRock Tennis Classic)

Champion: Michael Stich; Runner-up: Marc-Kevin Goellner

Sao Paulo, Brazil - June 19-22 (Nossa Caixa Grand Champions Brasil)

Istanbul, Turkey - July 17-20

Graz, Austria - July 29-August 2 (s Tennis Masters)

Algarve, Portugal - August 5-8 (Vale do Lobo Grand Champions CGD)

Paris, France - September 18-21 (5e Trophée Jean-Luc Lagardère)

Luxembourg, Luxembourg - September 25-28

Eindhoven, Netherlands - October 2-5 (AFAS Tennis Classics)

Budapest, Hungary - October 9-12

Frankfurt, Germany - November 13-16 (klarmobil.de Champions Trophy)

Brussels, Belgium - November 20-23

London, UK - December 2-7 (BlackRock Masters Tennis)

OTHER INFO

BlackRock is a premier provider of global investment management, riskmanagement and advisory services to clients around the world. The rebrand from the Merrill Lynch Tour of Champions to the new BlackRock Tour of Champions,

stemmed from the merger between BlackRock and Merrill Lynch Investment Managers on the 29th September 2006. This merger united the predominantly US fixed income institutional heritage of BlackRock with that of Merrill Lynch

Investment Managers’ award-winning global retail equity franchise.

BlackRock is one of the world’s largest publicly traded investment management firms. At December 31, 2007, BlackRock’s assets under management (AUM) was US$1.357 trillion. The firm manages assets on behalf of institutions and individuals worldwide through a variety of equity, fixed income, cash management and alternative investment products. In addition, a growing number of institutional investors use BlackRock Solutions(r) investment system, risk management and financial advisory services. Headquartered in New York City, as of December 31, 2007, the firm has approximately 5,500 employees in 19 countries and a major presence in key global markets, including the U.S., Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. For additional information, please visit the Company’s website at www.blackrock.com.

South Africa’s international flagship airline and the continent’s most awarded carrier, South African Airways is the official airline of the BlackRock Tour of Champions. Its modern fleet features a comfortable Economy Class cabin recently reconfigured for extra legroom and a Premium Business Class cabin featuring the airline’s award-winning, lie-flat seat. Complimentary South African wines, inspired cuisine and personal on-demand entertainment for all travellers make the trip to Africa fly by. Built on a venerable 72-year history of bringing the world to Africa and taking Africa to the world, the airline’s network is unsurpassed on the continent - connecting travellers to more than 20 destinations within South Africa and more than 20 cities across Africa. As a recent member to the worldwide Star Alliance, South African Airways is now able to offer its customers 852 destinations in 152 countries and more than 15,500 flights daily.

For the Latest News, Features and Updates from the BlackRock Tour of Champions: www.blackrocktourofchampions.com

and for further information:

www.blackrockinternational.com/tourofchampions

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5. Istanbul Title Catapults Ivanisevic To No.1