TennisGrandstand

Watching the 22-point Champions’ Tie-Break shared by Michael Stich and Richard Krajicek in Eindhoven on Friday was like being catapulted back in time by 15 years.

Both men walloped serves down, neither gave an inch, and a packed Dutch crowd at the AFAS Classics sat transfixed, if ultimately a little disappointed, as their man went down to Stich 6-3, 3-6, 12-10.

This was serious, heavyweight tennis, and the 37-year-old Krajicek stood motionless for a few seconds as he watched the 39-year-old Stich’s backhand clip the outside edge of the baseline on match-point.

Krajicek even queried the call to the Chair Umpire such was his disappointment at not maintaining his 100% record this week.

It means that the Dutchman must now beat Sergi Bruguera, who overcame Henri Leconte 6-3, 6-4, to stand a chance of making the final. He must also hope that Leconte defeats Stich on Saturday.

In the Ndlovu Group (Group B), Yevgeny Kafelnikov lost again, but this time he pushed Paul Haarhuis all the way. Haarhuis has kept himself in immaculate shape while Kafelnikov is still trying to regain full fitness, and in the end, it showed.

The Russian took the first set 7-5, showing glimpses of the sparkling return of serve that took him to No.1 in the world. But Haarhuis hit back to win the second 6-3 and then the Champions’ Tie-Break 10-7.

In the final match of the day, Goran Ivanisevic assured his place in the final with a thumping 6-4, 6-4 win over Michael Chang.

Matches are played over the best of three sets, with a Champions’ Tie-break (first to 10 points with a clear advantage of two) to decide the winner.  After all round-robin matches are complete, the top two players in each group will meet in Sunday’s final.

Last week in Luxembourg, John McEnroe won his first BlackRock Tour of Champions title in three years by defeating Leconte to take the Vivium Victory Challenge.

After Eindhoven, the Tour moves on to the Tennis Classics in Budapest. It will be the first time that the BlackRock Tour of Champions has visited Hungary. McEnroe and Bjorn Borg will both be in action.

In the final event of the year, Pete Sampras and Stefan Edberg will take on McEnroe and Ivanisevic in an eight-man field at the BlackRock Masters Tennis in London, December 2-7.

LATEST STANDINGS

GROUP A (The Miracle)

Matches won/lost (sets)

Sergi Bruguera                                                                    2-0 (4-0)

Richard Krajicek                                                  1-1 (3-2)

Michael Stich                                                                        1-1 (2-3)

Henri Leconte                                                                      0-2 (0-4)

GROUP B (Ndlovu)

Goran Ivanisevic                                                                  2-0 (4-1)

Michael Chang                                                                    1-1 (2-2)

Paul Haarhuis                                                                      1-1 (3-3)

Yevgeny Kafelnikov                                                             0-2 (1-4)

RESULTS

Friday, 3rd October, 2008

Sergi Bruguera d. Henri Leconte 6-3, 6-4

Paul Haarhuis d. Yevgeny Kafelnikov 5-7, 6-3, 10-7 (Champions’ Tie-break)

Michael Stich d. Richard Krajicek 6-3, 3-6, 12-10 (Champions’ Tie-Break)

Goran Ivanisevic d. Michael Chang 6-4, 6-4

SCHEDULE

Saturday 4th October – Afternoon session

At 1pm

H. Leconte vs. M. Stich

P. Haarhuis vs. M. Chang

Saturday 4th October – Evening session

At 6.30pm

G. Ivanisevic – Y. Kafelnikov

S. Bruguera – R. Krajicek

Sunday 5th October

1.45pm

3rd/4th place play-off

Final

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 ten events)

POS.       PLAYER                                                PTS

1              Marcelo Rios                                        1130

2              Goran Ivanisevic             970

3              Michael Stich                   900

4              Henri Leconte                      830

5        Cedric Pioline                            740

6              Thomas Muster                    655

7              Sergi Bruguera                    610

8              Anders Jarryd                        525

9        John McEnroe                     480

10=         Marc-Kevin Goellner (WC)                455

10=         Fernando Meligeni (WC)   455

12           Pat Cash                                                420

13=         Patrick Rafter                         400

13=         Pete Sampras                       400

13=   Stefan Edberg                      400

16           Mikael Pernfors                    330

17           Chris Wilkinson (WC)          325

18=         Jaime Oncins (WC)                              200

18=    Johny Goudenbour             200

20           Bjorn Borg                                              185

21=   Guy Forget                           125

21=         Jeremy Bates (WC)                             125

21=         Albert Costa                                          125

21=  Carl Uwe Steeb                           120

21= Guillermo Vilas                                            120

26=  Mats Wilander                        80

26=  Joao Cunha e Silva (WC)          80

26=         Magnus Larsson                   80

26=         Andrei Cherkasov                                80

26= Mansour Bahrami                  80

31=         Jaime Yzaga                                         60

31=         Alladin Karagoz (WC)          60

31=         Andrei Chesnokov                               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)

Champion: Stefan Edberg; Runner-up: Sergi Bruguera

Luxembourg, Luxembourg - September 25-28

Champion: John McEnroe; Runner-up: Henri Leconte

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

Budapest, Hungary - October 9-12

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