Monday, August 16, 1999
ATP NOTEBOOK
Black, Bjorkman team to upset Aussie pair
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Pete Sampras kisses his trophy.
(AP photo)
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Teamed for only the second time in doubles, Byron Black and Jonas Bjorkman upset Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge 6-3, 7-6, Sunday to win the Great American Insurance ATP Championship.
“We plan to play together again at the U.S. Open,” Bjorkman said “If everything goes well there, maybe next year we'll be together if our regular partners aren't playing doubles.”
Last week in Montreal, Black and Bjorkman were on opposite sides of the net battling in the championship match. Bjorkman and Patrick Rafter prevailed over Black and Wayne Ferreira.
The week before, Black and Ferreira won the Los Angeles doubles championship, defeating Brian MacPhie and Goran Ivanisevic in straight sets.
“Patrick (Rafter) decided he didn't want to play singles and doubles because there would be times he had to play two matches the same day,” Bjorkman said. “Byron and I bumped into each other in Montreal and decided to play.”
The only other time Bjorkman and Black played together was in 1998 at the Paris indoors where they reached the second round before being eliminated.
In defeating the Woodies, Black and Bjorkman denied the Australian duo and three-time Cincinnati champions of moving within three titles of the all-time record of 57 shared by Peter Fleming/John McEnroe and Bob Hewitt/Fred McMillan.
“I felt comfortable playing with Jonas the first day,” Black said. “We communicated well and that's important in doubles.
Unseeded, Bjorkman and Black won five matches, including a quarterfinal victory over Sandon Stolle and Black's younger brother, Wayne.
When asked why he doesn't play doubles with his brother, Black was quick to respond.
“Why should we play together?” Black asked. “We've played together and been successful. But we both need to be paired with a big hitter. Jonas complements me and as you could see, Sandon is good for Byron.”
Blessed with a big serve, Bjorkman provided the power while the lightning fast Black displayed finesse at the net during every match.
The Black brothers are Zimbabwe's Davis Cup Team.
They earned hero status after defeating Australia 3-2 in the 1998 semifinals with Byron beating Jason Stoltenberg in the fifth and deciding match.
Wayne also played a big part in the victory, defeating Mark Woodforde in a match that evened the count at 2-2, setting the stage for Byron's clinching victory.
Before entering the professional ranks in 1991, Byron played for the University of Southern California, winning the 1989 NCAA doubles title. He also teamed with Jonathan Stark to win the 1994 French Open title.
BAD RACKET: Rafter's racket may have cost him a critical point Sunday.
Leading 3-2 in the first-set tiebreaker, Pete Sampras hit a 128-mph serve that landed out but blasted through Rafter's racket, breaking several strings. After Rafter got a new racket, chair umpire Norm Chryst awarded Sampras a first serve — standard courtesy after such a delay.
Rather than having to be safe with a second serve, on which Rafter could have pounced, Sampras was able to let fly another bullet that went for a service winner.
“I was a bit mad, because it was 3-2 in the tiebreak and they gave him another first serve,” Rafter said.
Said Sampras: “It was important I get a first serve out of it there.”
SAMPRAS' PROGRESS: When Sampras was a junior player, he didn't really have a good serve.
“I was a short little kid and had bad technique,” he said. “It was pathetic.”
He spent hours hitting bucket after bucket of balls, practicing his serve. At age 16 or 17, it started to come around.
Now, he admits, “That's what I'm known for.”
It certainly gave him the edge Sunday as he served regularly in the 120s.
FLORY HONORED: Tournament Chairman Paul Flory has been running the ATP Championship for 25 years, and the ATP Tour made sure everyone attending Sunday's final knew it.
After the singles final, Mark Miles, ATP Tour CEO, presented Flory with a Waterford Crystal bowl inscribed: Leadership, Dedication and Friendship.
“It is knowing people like Paul Flory that makes being involved in tennis really worthwhile,” Miles told the crowd.
Then Hall of Famer Tony Trabert, the greatest tennis player ever to come out of Cincinnati, presented Flory with the Medallion Award, given by the ATP Championship to people making significant contributions to professional tennis. “This couldn't happen to a nicer and more deserving person,” Trabert said.
Both awards were a surprise. When Flory finally reclaimed the microphone, he said: “Needless to say, I'm overwhelmed by all this — and I can't play tennis worth a darn.”
Contributing: Michael Perry, Neil Schmidt and Dave Schutte.
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