Blake downs childhood idol McEnroe for title

James Blake, 34, beat John McEnroe, 55, to win the Champions
Shootout in Sacramento. Both grew up in the New York area
and still live there. Photo by Paul Bauman

   SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- James Blake and John McEnroe both grew up in the New York area and became professional tennis players.
   Otherwise, they have little in common.
   Blake is 34, black and right-handed. A classy gentleman in the mold of his idol, Arthur Ashe, Blake forged an excellent, but not Hall of Fame, career. He reached three Grand Slam singles quarterfinals, peaked at No. 4 in the world and helped the United States win its last Davis Cup championship (2007).   
   McEnroe is 55, white and left-handed. A temperamental genius with the racket, he captured 17 Grand Slam titles (seven in singles, nine in doubles and one in mixed doubles), led the United States to five Davis Cup titles and was inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1999.
   Despite the age difference, McEnroe strongly influenced Blake when the latter was a junior in Fairfield, Conn.
   "My parents and my coach probably will tell you there may have been a negative inspiration with him at times," Blake said with a laugh after beating McEnroe, who grew up in Queens and lives in Manhattan, 6-3 to win the Champions Shootout on Wednesday night at Sleep Train Arena. "I was a bit of a brat when I was 12 years old, and that's when he was (at the end of his career). He was my example when they said, 'You can't act like that and win.' And I said, 'Well, he sure does.' I would use him as my excuse for why I could act out. Eventually, I got out of that.
   "His is more of a show now, and he's having fun with it, but his intensity definitely inspired me. That's why I was such a perfectionist as a kid, and it carried over to the tour. I just hid it better. I was better at making sure the people didn't see how much the fire was burning inside me."

Pete Sampras, playing with a sore shoulder, lost to Blake in the
semifinals. Photo by Paul Bauman

   The Champions Shootout was the eighth of 12 stops, all in the United States in February and March, on the PowerShares Series. Only former Grand Slam singles finalists or top-five players over age 30 are eligible.
   In Wednesday's semifinals, Blake defeated 42-year-old Pete Sampras, playing with a sore shoulder, 6-3 and McEnroe topped 43-year-old Jim Courier -- you guessed it -- 6-3.
   Sampras collected 14 Grand Slam singles titles (second all-time behind Roger Federer's 17) and Courier four. They were inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2007 and 2005, respectively.
   McEnroe clearly was the star of the show in front of an announced crowd of 2,460 with his spectacular shotmaking and his theatrics, not necessarily in that order.
   He displayed his trademark temper in the semifinals and sardonic sense of humor in the final.
   McEnroe's biggest outburst came at 3-3 in the semis when a Courier forehand was called good on the baseline. McEnroe slammed his racket on the court, yelled at the linesman and swore at the chair umpire.
   He stayed calm in the final and, while serving at 3-4, cracked about a persistent hum in the arena, "Is the carpet up there clean yet?"
   The crowd's support for McEnroe occasionally miffed Courier and Blake, who, after all, were playing in their home country, too. 

Jim Courier fell to McEnroe in the semis.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   After Courier slugged a forehand crosscourt passing shot, the U.S. Davis Cup captain (coach) quipped to the audience, "Thank you for your lukewarm applause. I appreciate it."
   During the final, Blake admonished the fans at McEnroe's end of the court, "Am I playing against everyone on that side?"
   Blake, a resident of Westport, Conn., only six months removed from the ATP World Tour, had too much speed and power for McEnroe. Still, the gray-haired McEnroe put on dazzling performance with his corkscrew serve, deft volleys, feathery drop shots and pinpoint passing shots.  
   "It's incredible, the way he can still move, the way he can still serve, and his hands," marveled Blake, who won the last title of his active career a lob away from Sleep Train Arena at the Natomas Racquet Club in the 2012 Sacramento Challenger. "I think his hands will be that way until he's in a wheelchair. It's amazing how good his hands are.
   "I'm amazed by how great a shape he stays in and how well he can move around the court. I pray that I can move and serve like that when I'm 55."
   With his magical hands, McEnroe has a unique hitting style.
   "No one else can get away with it because no one has those gifts with his hands," observed Blake, who was born in Yonkers, N.Y., four months after McEnroe won his first Grand Slam singles title in the 1979 U.S. Open in nearby Flushing Meadows. "He's found a way to make the most out of it and master his craft.
  "It's fun to play something like that because I didn't see that on the tour. There are no true serve-and-volleyers, and there are no guys who use that kind of craftiness as well as he does."

Sampras on U.S. men: 'Rest of world has gotten better'

Pete Sampras is scheduled to play in the Champions Shootout next Wednesday
at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   The reason for the United States' decline in men's tennis lies outside of the country.
   American legend Pete Sampras expressed that view in a recent interview on KHTK radio in Sacramento, where he's scheduled to play in the Champions Shootout next Wednesday.
   "I don't know if it is really us," Sampras mused, "but I think the rest of the world has gotten a little bit better. Through television and the Internet, it seems like there are just more people playing tennis.
   "You look at the top players in the world, you've got Rafa (Rafael Nadal) from Mallorca (Spain), Novak (Djokovic) from Serbia and Roger (Federer) from Switzerland. Twenty years ago, maybe tennis wasn't popular in those countries. Now it is, and the best athletes from these countries are playing tennis and not just soccer."
   By any measure, the U.S. men are struggling in singles. No Grand Slam champions since Andy Roddick in the 2003 U.S. Open. No one in the top 10. Recent first-round loss at home in the Davis Cup. At least Bob and Mike Bryan are ranked No. 1 in doubles with a record 15 major titles.
   The Champions Shootout, meanwhile, features three Americans with a combined 25 Grand Slam singles crowns plus former top-five player James Blake of the United States. Sampras ranks second all-time with 14 (behind Federer's 17), John McEnroe collected seven, and Jim Courier won four.
   In the one-set semifinals beginning at 7 p.m. at Sleep Train Arena, Sampras will face the recently retired Blake, and McEnroe will play Courier. The winners then will meet in a one-set final.
   "I still enjoy playing," said Sampras, 42. "I love hitting the ball and just getting a good workout in and going out and competing against some of these old friends of mine. It's fun, and I get to catch up with some friends, some old stories.
   "And for whatever reason, these people still want to see us play, so I'm excited. It keeps me busy, keeps me involved in the sport, and the sport has been good to me. I'm looking forward to hitting a few balls, getting in tennis shape and having some fun."
   It's easy to be cynical about sports these days, but Sampras remains a believer.
   "In life, in a lot of ways, you see a lot of people get breaks when they don't deserve them," he said. "I just feel that with sports, nothing is given to you. You have to go out there and earn it. There are a lot of good life lessons that you can learn from sports, and it's something I am trying to instill in my kids."
   Sampras enjoys sports in general, not just tennis.  
   "I love watching anything from the NFL to golf to college football," he said. "I think sports is the real deal. There are great stories. There are emotional stories. It's very real.
   "I love tennis because it is the ultimate one-on-one sport. It's one will against another will. You put it all out there. If you don't play well, you are going to lose. That's the way I kind of like it."
   Tickets for the Champions Shootout start at $25. For more information, visit www.powersharesseries.com.   

Hall of Famers, Blake to play in Sacramento

Pete Sampras rips a backhand in an exhibition
against Michael Chang during last year's
Bank of the West Classic at Stanford.
Photos by Paul Bauman

   They combined for 25 Grand Slam singles titles.
   Pete Sampras, John McEnroe and Jim Courier will play in Sacramento during the 2014 PowerShares Series, organizers announced today.
   The International Tennis Hall of Famers and fellow American James Blake will compete in two one-set semifinals, followed by a one-set final, on Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. at Sleep Train Arena. The matchups have not been set.
   The 12-city U.S. circuit will begin Feb. 5 in Kansas City, Mo., and end March 21 in Surprise, Ariz. Other part-time competitors will be Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander, Michael Chang, Todd Martin, Mark Philippoussis and Andy Roddick. 
   Roddick and Blake -- who retired from the ATP World Tour after the U.S. Open in 2012 and this year, respectively -- will debut in the PowerShares Series.
   Sampras, 42, used his devastating serve-and-volley game to win 14 Grand Slam singles titles, second behind Roger Federer with 17, and held the year-end No. 1 ranking for a record six consecutive years.
   McEnroe, a 54-year-old left-hander, won 17 Grand Slam titles (seven in singles, nine in doubles and one in mixed doubles) with his tremendous touch. His volatile temper, however, often overshadowed his sublime play.

Commentator Jim Courier interviews Roger Federer
during last year's Australian Open.

   Courier, an exceptionally hard worker, won four Grand Slam singles crowns (two at the Australian Open and two in the French Open) and reached the final of all four majors. Now 43, he has served as the captain (coach) of the United States Davis Cup team since 2010.

   McEnroe and Courier, like Sampras, ascended to No. 1 in the world.
   Blake, 33, climbed to a career-high No. 4 in 2006 with his speed and power but never advanced past the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament. He came close in 2005, losing a fifth-set tiebreaker to Agassi in one of the greatest matches in U.S. Open history.
   McEnroe holds U.S. Davis Cup records for total victories (59) and singles wins (41). He played on five Davis Cup championship teams, Sampras and Courier two each and Blake one.   
   Sampras and McEnroe have played World TeamTennis in Sacramento on visiting teams. Blake advanced to the final of the $100,000 Sacramento Challenger in 2011 and won the title in 2012. It is believed that Courier will play in Sacramento for the first time.
   Tickets for the Feb. 26 event went on sale today for USTA members at a 15 percent discount. Tickets starting at $25 and VIP fan experience packages will be available to the general public beginning next Tuesday. For more information, visit www.powersharesseries.com.         

Stars come out at Stanford

Serena Williams, playing her first match since winning
her fifth Wimbledon singles title, beat Stanford's Nicole
Gibbs, the NCAA singles and doubles champion, 6-2,
6-1 in the second round of the Bank of the West Classic.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   STANFORD — One match was a rout, even if the winner didn't think so. The other was an exhibition that ended prematurely.
   But for star power at a non-Grand Slam tournament, it doesn't get any better than Wednesday at the Bank of the West Classic.
   Top seed and defending champion Serena Williams dominated Stanford star Nicole Gibbs 6-2, 6-1 in 62 minutes in the second round during the day session. Then Pete Sampras retired with a calf injury while leading Michael Chang 7-6 (2), 5-5 in an exhibition match at night.
   Williams and Sampras have won 14 Grand Slam singles titles each, but the 30-year-old Williams figures to add to her total. Chang remains the youngest man to win a Grand Slam singles title, capturing the 1989 French Open at 17. He never won another major title, although he reached three more Slam finals.
   All four players were born in the Midwest (Williams and Gibbs) or East (Sampras and Chang) and moved to the Los Angeles area as juniors. Sampras and Chang are 40-year-old International Tennis Hall of Famers.
   Williams' match Wednesday was her first since winning her fifth Wimbledon title on Saturday.

Pete Sampras retired with a calf injury
while leading Michael Chang 7-6 (2),
5-5 in an exhibition. Photo by Paul Bauman

   "I couldn't quite believe I was playing today," said Williams, who will face sixth-seeded Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa in Friday's quarterfinals. "But I'm healthy, I have a heartbeat, so there's no reason not to play. I'll feel better after a day off. I'm still waking up at 2 a.m. I definitely felt sluggish. It's good to get the win over with."

   Williams won last year's Bank of the West Classic in her third tournament back from an 11-month layoff. She had cut her foot on a piece of glass at a restaurant, then had two operations on the foot and was treated for life-threatening blood clots in her lungs.
   Gibbs, a 19-year-old wild card, had won 26 consecutive matches in college and professional competition before Wednesday. She became the third woman in history and first since 1995 to sweep the NCAA singles and doubles titles, then won the $50,000 Colorado International last week as an amateur qualifier.
   "She played really well," Williams said graciously about Wednesday's match. "She moves really well, and she doesn't quit. That's the best quality you can have as an athlete. She easily could have given up. She's a fighter. She actually has a really good first serve. It's good to see Ameicans coming up."
   When pressed about administering a "beat-down," Williams replied: "I don't think it was too much of a beat-down. She held her own."

Chang, whose wife won two NCAA singles titles while attending
Stanford, said the conditions were quick Wednesday night.
Photo by Paul Bauman

  Williams, pounding her first serve and groundstrokes, raced to leads of 4-0 in the first set and 5-0 in the second set. But Gibbs played Williams even for the rest of the first set, and Williams needed four match points to put away her opponent.
   “It was a great experience for me to match up against that level of player and see what’s out there," said Gibbs, who plans to return to Stanford in the fall for her junior year. "I have a lot to look over and work on, but that was a good benchmark for where I am.
   "It was pretty surreal, no matter how much I tried to prepare myself mentally. To be matched up against someone like Serena was obviously a dream and obviously intimidating but just an incredible experience.”    
   The muscular, 5-foot-9 Williams, whose serve is considered the best in women's history, blasted seven aces at up to 117 mph. The petite, 5-6 Gibbs, meanwhile, had none. Her first serve registered in the high 80s and low 90s, her second delivery in the powder-puff 60s.
   "Her second serve has to get deeper and faster," Stanford women's coach Lele Forood said. "She knows that. That's why she's in college."
   Lucky loser CoCo Vandeweghe, who will play the last five matches of the World TeamTennis regular season for the Sacramento Capitals, reached the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over fourth seed and former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia.
   Sampras said he will have an MRI on his left calf on Thursday. He's scheduled to play Hall of Famer Jim Courier that night in another exhibition, with Chang and Courier set to meet Friday night. 
   Sampras said his injury "was my own fault. I haven't been playing a lot. I felt it on a forehand."       
   He apparently over-extended himself Wednesday, having earlier hit with second-seeded Marion Bartoli of France.
   "She was hitting balls hard," said Sampras, one of whose three siblings is named Marion. "I had just gotten off a plane. It took a lot out of me."
   Sampras and Chang showed flashes of their former brilliance amid some bad errors. The legends were lighthearted in the first set, bantering between each other and with the crowd, but serious in the second. Points ended quickly throughout the match.
   "The women's ball is a little lighter," explained Chang, a former part-time Capital whose wife, the former Amber Liu, won the NCAA singles title in 2003 and 2004 while attending Stanford. "The conditions were quick."
   See below for Wednesday's full results and Thursday's schedule.
   Sweeting probable — The Capitals expect Ryan Sweeting to return for Saturday night's match at Orange County, his last scheduled appearance for the team this season.
   Sweeting suffered back spasms in Monday's season opening loss at Boston and missed Tuesday's overtime victory at Philadelphia. Last-minute replacement Alex Kuznetsov, a 25-year-old American, helped Sacramento beat the Freedoms 22-16 in overtime. In an e-mail, Capitals coach Wayne Bryan called the victory "truly one of the best all-around Caps performances in my 11 years with the team."
   Marquee player Mardy Fish is scheduled to join the Capitals for their home opener Thursday night at 7:35 against Kansas City and for Friday night's home match against Orange County. Fish, 30, is coached by 40-year-old Capitals captain Mark Knowles, who's in his 11th season, all with the team.
   NorCal Hall of Fame — The Northern California Tennis Hall of Fame will add four members, including ex-Stanford All-American Nick Saviano, on Thursday at Stanford.
   Joining Saviano will be volunteer Andrea Norman; Steve Cornell, an accomplished junior, collegiate and senior player and tennis advocate; and Martha Downing, a gifted senior player, teaching pro and volunteer. 
   Saviano has coached more than 50 ATP and WTA players. He helped Stanford win NCAA titles in both of his years there (1974 and 1975) before he turned pro. Saviano peaked at No. 48 in the world in 1978 and reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon in 1980.
   Norman directed the USTA Girls 18 National Championships in Berkeley, started a tennis-based non-profit organization and participated on national and regional committees aimed at making tennis accessible to everyone.
   Cornell played on UCLA's national championship teams in 1970 and 1971. His teammates included Jimmy Connors, Jeff Borowiak of Berkeley and Jeff Austin.Cornell, a founding member of the Berkeley Tennis Club Foundation, is a USTA committee member and an avid volunteer.
   Downing, a retired teaching pro and tennis director at Sacramento-area clubs for more than 35 years, holds 27 national senior titles and represents the United States in international competitions. A member of the inaugural class of the Sacramento Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009, she has been named the NorCal Senior Player of the Year four times. 

BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC

At Stanford

Second-round singles

   Chanelle Scheepers (6), South Africa, def. Michelle Larcher de Brito, Portugal, 6-3, 6-4.
   Yanina Wickmayer (5), Belgium, def. Heather Watson, Great Britain, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4.
   Serena Williams (1), Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., def. Nicole Gibbs, Santa Monica, 6-2, 6-1.
   CoCo Vandeweghe (Capitals), Rancho Santa Fe, def. Jelena Jankovic (4), Serbia, 6-4, 6-2.

First-round doubles

   Natalie Grandin, South Africa, and Vladimira Uhlirova (3), Czech Republic, def. Mallory Burdette, Jackson, Ga., and Nicole Gibbs, Santa Monica, 7-6 (5), 3-6, 10-6 tiebreak.

Doubles quarterfinals

   Yung-Jan Chan and Hao-Ching Chan (4), Taiwan, def. Dominika Cibulkova and Janette Husarova, Slovakia, 6-4, 6-3.
   Jarmila Gajdosova, Australia, and Vania King (1), Boynton Beach, Fla., def. Sorana Cirstea, Romania, and Anne Keothavong, Great Britain, 6-2, 6-2.
   Marina Erakovic, New Zealand, and Heather Watson, Great Britain, def. Raquel Kops-Jones (former Cal All-American), Fresno, and Abigail Spears (2), San Diego, 7-6 (9), 2-6, 10-4 tiebreak.

Thursday's schedule
Stadium (starting at 11 a.m.)

   Sorana Cirstea (9), Romania, vs. Saisai Zheng, China.
   Marina Erakovic (8), New Zealand, vs. Urszula Radwanska, Poland (not before 2 p.m.).
   Marion Bartoli (2), France, vs. Mallory Burdette (Stanford), Jackson, Ga.
   Eleni Daniilidou, Greece, and Urszula Radwanska, Poland, vs. Natalie Grandin, South Africa, and Vladimira Uhlirova (3), Czech Republic.
   Exhibition: Jim Courier vs. Pete Sampras (not before 7 p.m.)
   Dominika Cibulkova (3), Slovakia, vs. Erika Sema, Japan (not before 8 p.m.)

CALENDAR

   Thursday -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, second round, 11 a.m. and not before 8 p.m. Exhibition match, Pete Sampras vs. Jim Courier, 7 p.m. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
    2012 Northern California Tennis Hall of Fame Brunch and Induction Ceremony (Nick Saviano, Andrea Norman, Steve Cornell and Martha Downing), Stanford, Pac 12 Plaza/Cardinal Plaza, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., tickets $75 each at http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=230538. 
   World TeamTennis, Sacramento Capitals' home opener (with Mardy Fish) vs. Kansas City, Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., www.saccaps.com.
   Friday -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, quarterfinals, noon and 7 p.m. Exhibition match, Michael Chang vs. Courier, not before 8 p.m. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   Capitals (with Fish) vs. Orange County, Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Saturday -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, semifinals, 1 and 7 p.m. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   Capitals at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   Sunday -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, singles final at 1 p.m., doubles final to follow. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   Monday -- Capitals (with Sam Querrey) vs. New York, Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 18 -- Capitals at Washington, 4:10 p.m.
   July 19 -- Capitals at Springfield, 5:05 p.m.
   July 20 -- Capitals at Kansas City, 5:35 p.m.
   July 22 -- Springfield at Capitals (with Querrey, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 24 -- Orange County (with Lindsay Davenport) at Capitals (with Kevin Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 25 -- Capitals (with Vandeweghe) at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   July 27 -- Philadelphia (with Mark Philippoussis) at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28 -- Boston at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28-Aug. 5 -- OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.