Sampras Wins Champions Cup In McEnroe’s 2011 Debut

Written by: Staff on 14th October 2011

Sampras Wins Champions Cup In McEnroe's 2011 Debut

US tennis star Pete Sampras returns the ball to former world number one Marat Safin of Russia during an exhibition match to inaugurate the new Tennis China Open center court in Beijing, China, 30 September 2011. EPA/DIEGO AZUBEL |

Pete Sampras continued his winning ways in the 2011 Champions Series by defeating Michael Chang 8-4 to capture the Washington Trust Bank Champions Cup presented by Propel Insurance, at the Key Arena Thursday night in Seattle, Washington. It was his fourth victory in five appearances so far this season, as Sampras increased his lead in the Champions Series points standings. He now leads Chang by 600 points with seven of 12 events completed.

“I got it going tonight, and my game is really starting to feel good,” said the 14-time Grand Slam Champ. “These are all great matchups that we play here on this tour, and we’re all really excited that we can still sell out these arenas that we play in. But I’m here to win, and I like where I stand right now.”

Sampras advanced to the final with a 6-4 semifinal triumph over John McEnroe, who was making his first appearance of the 2011 Champions Series. “It was really nice coming back up here to Seattle tonight, and I loved getting back out there onto the court to compete,” said McEnroe.

Chang – who spent a number of years living in the Seattle area during his ATP Tour days – was playing in front of some of his old friends from the Pacific Northwest. He advanced with a 6-4 semifinal triumph over Jim Courier, who now sits in third place and holds just a 100-point margin over fourth place Andre Agassi. Only the top 3 finishers at the end of the 2011 Champions Series will share the one million dollar bonus pool.

The Champions Series moves to the Staples Center in Los Angeles Friday night for the HSBC Tennis Cup, followed by the CTCA Championships in Las Vegas Saturday night. 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.

The 2011 Champions Series is a competitive tennis circuit featuring legendary tennis icons and world-renowned champions. The 12-city tour of one-night tournaments is being played in major U.S. arenas from September 22 – October 22.

TONIGHT’S SCORES

Semifinal 1: Chang def. Courier, 6-4

Semifinal 2: Sampras def. McEnroe, 6-4

Final: Sampras def. Chang, 8-4

Champions Series Rankings                         Points (thru 7 events)

1  Sampras                                                          1700

2  Chang                                                               1100

3  Courier                                                             900

4  Agassi                                                               800

5  Martin                                                              400

6  Connors                                                           200
7  Lendl                                                                 100

McEnroe                                                          100

Wilander                                                          100