Boris Becker will make Stanford Championships debut in Dallas, October 22-26

by PegNews wire

Three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker will make his debut on the Outback Champions Series tennis circuit at The Stanford Championships, to be played October 22-26 on the campus of SMU. Becker will be competing in his first tournament in the United States since he played in the Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne, Florida., in 1999.

Becker will play fellow former #1 player in the world Jim Courier, defending Stanford Championships winner Wayne Ferreira, and former French Open finalist Mikael Pernfors in Group A of the round robin portion of the event. 2003 Wimbledon finalist Mark Philippoussis and 1999 US Open finalist Todd Martin will be joined by Americans Aaron Krickstein and Jimmy Arias in Group B. Anna Kournikova, the former top 10 star of the WTA Tour and #1 doubles player in the world, will also compete in mixed doubles exhibition matches during the tournament.

Tickets for the event are available now and can be purchased by calling 877-332-TIXX (8499). Ticket prices start at $12. Full ticket and event information can be found at www.ChampionSeriesTennis.com.

“I am very excited to play on the Outback Champions Series in Dallas and again play tournament tennis in the United States,” said Becker. “I am looking forward to renewing some great rivalries, particularly with Jim Courier, and getting my competitive juices flowing again at The Stanford Championships.”

Becker, 40, burst on the scene as a 17-year-old at Wimbledon in 1985, where he beat Kevin Curren in the men’s singles final to become the event’s youngest men’s singles champion. Becker also won Wimbledon in 1986 and 1989, while he was a runner-up at the All England Club in 1988, 1990, 1991 and 1995. In all, Becker won six major singles titles, also winning two Australian Open titles in 1991 and 1996 and the 1989 U.S. Open. The Hall of Famer and the world’s No. 1 player for 12 weeks, Becker also guided his nation to victories in Davis Cup in 1988 and 1989 and, in 1992, he and countryman Michael Stich paired to win the Olympic gold medal in men’s doubles. He won 49 career tour singles titles, including the 1988 WCT Finals in Dallas.

“Boris is an icon,” said Jim Courier. “I am thrilled to be able to play him in Dallas and know it will be a very tough test. He always forces me to up my intensity level to match his so I can't wait for Friday night. ”

Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features some of the biggest names in tennis over the last 25 years, including Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Courier and many others. To be eligible to compete on the Outback Champions Series, players must have reached at least a major singles final, been ranked in the top five in the world or played singles on a championship Davis Cup team.

The Outback Champions Series features eight events on its 2008 schedule, with each event featuring an eight-man round-robin match format. The winner of each four-player division meets in the title match while second place finishers in each division play in the third-place match. Each event features $150,000 in prize money with an undefeated winner taking home $54,000 as well as Champions Series ranking points that will determine the year-end Stanford Champions Rankings No. 1. Beginning in 2008, the year-end champion will receive a $100,000 bonus courtesy of Stanford Financial Group, the official rankings sponsor of the Outback Champions Series. Through the first four events in 2008, Courier holds the No. 1 ranking with 2200 points. McEnroe holds the No. 2 ranking with 1800 points while Ferreira is in third position with 1050 points.

The 2008 Outback Champions Series kicked off March 12-16 in Naples, Florida, at The Oliver Group Champions Cup where Martin defeated McEnroe in the final. Courier won the second event of the season at The Residences at The Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman Legends Championships April 16-20, defeating Ferreira in the final, while McEnroe won his first career Outback Champions Series even in Boston April 30- May 4, defeating Krickstein in the final. Pat Cash won his first Outback Champions Series title in Newport, R.I., in August, defeating Courier in the final. The next four events on the 2008 Outback Champions Series calendar are stops in Charlotte, N.C., Dallas, Texas, Surprise, Ariz., and Dubai, U.A.E.

Source: Outback Champions Series