ATP CHAMPIONS TOUR TENNIS FROM KNOKKE – XAVIER THE “X-MAN” MALISSE & FABRICE “THE MAGICIAN” SANTORO TO MEET IN FINAL

Written by: Staff on 15th August 2014

ATP CHAMPIONS TOUR TENNIS FROM KNOKKE - XAVIER THE "X-MAN" MALISSE & FABRICE "THE MAGICIAN" SANTORO TO MEET IN FINAL

epa03538797 Xavier Malisse of Belgium plays a backhand return during his match against Fernando Verdasco of Spain, round two of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 16 January 2013. EPA/MARK DADSWELL AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT |

OPTIMA OPEN

ATP CHAMPIONS TOUR

14-17 AUGUST, 2014

KNOKKE, BELGIUM

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MALISSE AND SANTORO TO MEET IN FINAL

Xavier Malisee and Fabrice Santoro will meet in the final of Belgium’s Optima Open on Sunday after both sailed through their final group stage matches.

Taking to the court for the opening match on Friday, Malisse faced former Optima Open finalist Pat Cash.Though the Belgian was dominant throughout most of the the 6-3, 6-4 victory over his elder opponent, Cash was still able to produce some sensational serve and volley play to delight the crowd.

Playing in front of his home fans, Malisse was thrilled to reach the final on his ATP Champions Tour debut.

‘I am very happy,’ he said. ‘It’s very pleasing to play with home support and to be able to play pretty well is great. Pat is such a great player it’s really a privilege to be on the court with him and to be able to have so much fun.’

Santoro was next to book his place in the final by virtue of a 6-2, 6-4 victory over fellow Frenchman Henri Leconte. The packed crowd at the Royal Zoute Tennis Club in Knokke-Heist were dazzled by the display of trickery put on for them by the French duo. Though Santoro produced by far the more consistent play, 51 year-old Leconte hit plenty of winners during the rain-interrupted match.

‘I can’t describe how much of a pleasure it is to play here this week,’ said Santoro following his victory. ‘I am so happy that I get to play another match on this court in the final on Sunday, and I hope that I can play just as well again.’

The final will be a first meeting for Malisse and Santoro on the Champions Tour, but the pair have previously encountered one another four times on the ATP World Tour with Malisse leading their head to head 4-0. Santoro is hoping to overturn the trend on Sunday.

“I will need to play like I have these past two days, that’s for sure,” he said. “I am so so happy to be playing this good at such a special tournament, and I hope some crowd will be able to support me on Sunday even though Xavier is Belgian.”

Saturday’s order of play at the Optima Open features a special exhibition doubles match between the pairings of John McEnroe and Monica Seles and Mansour Banhrami and Kim Clijsters.

Editors note : Xavier told his friends @10sballs about this beautiful part of Belgium. It’s called “Belgian Rivera ” . The fans will see an amazing finals. Wow. That’s a dream match. Two brilliant shot makers. Two really über talented players. We sure wish both guys were still out there on the pro tour. Come on guys. Doubles ?

For full results and schedules for the Optima Open please visit: http://www.atpchampionstour.com/results/results.aspx

And to view match highlights and post-match interviews from Knokke-Heist go to the Optima Open YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/OptimaOpen

To view the full draws and order of play in Knokke-Heist, visit: http://www.atpchampionstour.com/results/results.aspx

Official Optima Open website: http://www.optimaopen.be

ATP CHAMPIONS TOUR VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

Video – What makes John McEnroe tick? – http://goo.gl/DZTkEf

Video – Watch Tim Henman and Goran Ivanisevic watch THAT Wimbledon semifinal … together -http://goo.gl/11ti2g

Video – Facing Federer: Mark Philippoussis remembers his 2003 Wimbledon final against Roger Federer - http://goo.gl/vpo60h

Video – What’s in your bag? Tim Henman rummages through the belongings of one of his fellow ATP Champions Tour stars. But whose bag is it? – http://goo.gl/u8al7C

For other video content from the ATP Champion Tour, click here: http://www.atpchampionstour.com/multimedia/video-landing.aspx

Topics: 10sballs.com, ATP Champions Tour, Fabrice Santoro, Knokke, Optima Open, Tennis, Tennis News, The X-Man, Xavier Malisse

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10sBalls_com says:

August 15, 2014 at 8:27 pm

#ATP CHAMPIONS TOUR TENNIS FROM KNOKKE – XAVIER THE “X-MAN” @xmalissesite & FABRICE “THE MAGICIAN” SANTORO..- http://t.co/qMoRZUAUDp #tennis
xmalissesite says:

August 16, 2014 at 2:11 am

RT @10sBalls_com: #ATP CHAMPIONS TOUR TENNIS FROM KNOKKE – XAVIER THE “X-MAN” @xmalissesite & FABRICE “THE MAGICIAN” SANTORO..- http://t.co…