BlackRock Tour of Champions debutant Stefan Edberg will meet defending Champion Sergi Bruguera in the final of the Jean-Luc Lagardere Trophy on Sunday after the Swede overcame Henri Leconte 6-4 6-1 to top Group A.

Edberg produced another spectacular display of tennis against tour entertainer Leconte to delight the crowd on the Court Central earlier today. Leconte fought bravely in the first set, fending off a stream of break points before eventually conceding a service game to his unrelenting opponent. That break of serve proved decisive, and after going on to clinch the first set Edberg never looked like letting his momentum slip in the second. In the end it was the finesse of the Swede that got the better of the Frenchman, who was too often left stranded at the baseline by the torrent of winning volleys from the Edberg racquet.

After the match, Edberg expressed his delight at reaching his first ever BlackRock Tour of Champions final.

“I’m so pleased to be in the final,” he said. “I prepared a lot for this tournament and it feels so good to play the kind of tennis I’m playing.”

“Tomorrow is going to be fun for sure. I played well today but I’ll have to play my best tennis to beat Sergi who’s so good on clay.”

Bruguera made his way in to Sunday’s final via Guillaume Raoux, the late replacement for the injured Mikael Pernfors, who he beat 6-3, 6-1 in just 45 minutes to finish top of Group B. The win over Raoux is Bruguera’s seventh consecutive victory in the Jean-Leuc Lagardere Trophy over two years and the Spaniard is keen to defend his Paris crown against Edberg, a player he admits he has always admired.

“I think he was one of the most elegant players in the history of tennis,” said Bruguera. “It’s very nice to see him playing on the BlackRock Tour of Champions.”

“I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s final but Stefan is very fit and he’s playing very well. I want to defend my title here in Paris but we’ll see what happens. The conditions suit me well and Paris is a special place for me so tomorrow should be fun.”

On the ATP tour, Edberg and Bruguera met on nine occasions, with the Swede leading the head to head 6-3. Edberg has notched up notable victories against the Spaniard on clay in the past however, so tomorrow’s final is sure to be a closely fought affair.

The match to decide the third and fourth place positions is to be contested by compatriots Guy Forget and Cedric Pioline after both men won their remaining matches today to finish second in their respective groups.

Cedric Pioline beat Mats Wilander 6-2, 6-2 to book his place in the final day’s proceedings whilst Forget, who doubles up as Tournament Director in Paris, beat Thomas Muster 6-3, 6-4 in the final match of the day on the Court Central.

Last month in the Algarve (Portugal) Marcelo Rios won the Vale do Lobo Grand Champions CGD to overtake Michael Stich as No.1 player in the South African Airways Champions Tour Rankings.

After Paris, the Tour will move on to Luxembourg for the first Vivium Victory Challenge (September 25-28), and then the AFAS Tennis Classics in Eindhoven (October 2-5). Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe will renew their rivalry in Luxembourg (for a taster, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUa2ltLC0hw). In Eindhoven, former World No.1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov, 1989 French Open champion Michael Chang, and the 1996 Wimbledon finalist Malivai Washington will make the BlackRock Tour of Champions debuts.

RESULTS – SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2008

GROUP A

Stefan Edberg d. Henri Leconte 6-4, 6-1

Guy Forget d. Thomas Muster 6-3, 6-4

GROUP B

Sergi Bruguera d. Guillaume Raoux 6-3, 6-1

Cedric Pioline d. Mats Wilander 6-2, 6-2

FINAL GROUP STANDINGS

GROUP A

Matches won/lost (sets)

Stefan Edberg 3-0 (6-0)

Guy Forget 2-1 (4-2)

Henri Leconte 1-2 (2-4)

Thomas Muster 0-3 (0-6)

GROUP B

Matches won/lost (sets)

Sergi Bruguera 3-0 (6-0)

Cedric Pioline 2-1 (4-3)

Mats Wilander 1-2 (2-4)

Guillaume Raoux 0-2 (1-6)

SCHEDULE – SUNDAY 21 SEPTEMBER

14:00 Stefan Edberg vs. Sergi Bruguera

Not before 15:30pm Guy Forget vs. Cedric Pioline

BLACKROCK TOUR OF CHAMPIONS POINTS ALLOCATION

Winner – 400 points

Finalist – 250 points

3rd place – 200 points

4th place – 125 points

5/6th place – 80 points

7/8th place – 60 points

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

POS. PLAYER PTS

1 Marcelo Rios 1130

2 Goran Ivanisevic 970

3 Michael Stich 900

4 Thomas Muster 595

5 Anders Jarryd 525

6 Henri Leconte 500

7 Cedric Pioline 460

8= Marc-Kevin Goellner (WC) 455

8= Fernando Meligeni (WC) 455

10 Pat Cash 420

11= Patrick Rafter 400

11= Pete Sampras 400

13 Sergi Bruguera 360

14 Mikael Pernfors 330

15= Chris Wilkinson (WC) 325

16= Jaime Oncins (WC) 200

17= Jeremy Bates (WC) 125

17= Albert Costa 125

19 Joao Cunha e Silva (WC) 80

20= Magnus Larsson 80

20= John McEnroe 80

20= Andrei Cherkasov 80

23= Bjorn Borg 60

23= Carl Uwe Steeb 60

23= Jaime Yzaga 60

23= Alladin Karagoz (WC) 60

23= Andrei Chesnokov 60

23= Guillermo Vilas 60

WC denotes Wild Card.

The BlackRock Tour of Champions Calendar 2008

Belfast, Northern Ireland - February 21-24 (Tennis Legends)

Champion: 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)

Champion: Pete Sampras; Runner-up: Marcelo Rios

Istanbul, Turkey - July 17-20

Champion: Goran Ivanisevic; Runner-up: Fernando Meligeni

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

Champion: Patrick Rafter; Runner-up: Michael Stich

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

Champion: Marcelo Rios ; Runner-up : Goran Ivanisevic

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)

Macao, China - November 20 (Special Event)

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

OTHER INFO

About BlackRock

BlackRock is one of the world’s largest publicly traded investment management firms. At June 30, 2008, BlackRock’s AUM was $1.428 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 investment system, risk management and financial advisory services. Headquartered in New York City, as of June 30, 2008, the firm has approximately 5,700 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