COURIER CLIPS AGASSI TO WIN THE POWERSHARES QQQ CHALLENGE

Written by: Staff on 21st October 2011

COURIER CLIPS AGASSI TO WIN THE POWERSHARES QQQ CHALLENGE |

Jim Courier outlasted Andre Agassi 8-7 (3) in the championship match of the PowerShares QQQ Challenge at the United Center Thursday night, to earn his first victory of the 2011 Champions Series.

“I really had to do something special tonight to beat Andre,” said Courier. “It feels awfully good to get a title.”

Trailing 7-6, Agassi staved off four match points and was able to hold his serve to force Courier into the tiebreaker. But then trailing 3-2 in the breaker, Agassi conceded the mini-break to Courier, who was able to close out the match 7-3 with some big serves and forehands.

“I had a bad feeling that it wasn’t going to go my way, after missing out on the four match points I blew when Andre was serving at 7-6 in the set,” said Courier. “I was really surprised that I was able to turn it around.”

“It was a disappointing way to end, but I did my best to hang in there tonight,” said Agassi. “It just wasn’t quite enough.”

Agassi earned a 6-4 semifinal triumph over John McEnroe, while Courier advanced with a 6-3 semifinal victory over Todd Martin, spoiling the former Northwestern collegiate star’s return to Chicago.

Agassi’s semifinal win helped him remain in second place in the official 2011 Champions Series standings. Pete Sampras still holds a commanding lead in the Series with a 700-point advantage over Agassi with just two events remaining. Only the top 3 finishers at the end of the 2011 Champions Series will share the one million dollar bonus pool, as Courier moved ahead of Michael Chang into third place by 200 points.

The Champions Series continues Friday night in St. Louis with the Champions Classic, followed by the HSBC Tennis Cup Saturday night in Buffalo, NY – the final event of the 2011 tour. Tickets and unique interactive VIP fan experiences for the 2011 Champions Series are on sale to the general public and start at $35. Tickets are available at venue box offices, all Ticketmaster locations, 202-397-SEAT or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

Topics: Andre Agassi, Jim Courier