September 20, 2007

Mikael Pernfors knew he had his work cut out against John McEnroe on day one of the Trophee Jean Luc Lagardere in Paris, but that only made his 4-6, 6-4, 10-7 (Champions’ Tie-Break) victory all the sweeter.

The Swede suffered an achilles tendon injury that he anticipated would end his playing days last year, but after surgery, plenty of rehabilitation and patience, he returned to register only his third ever victory against the American.

“It feels very good. I’ve always struggled against him - I beat him once on the BlackRock Tour of Champions and once when he was defaulted in the Australian Open,” said Pernfors.

“It’s been an unbelievable recovery for me from the achilles injury because I thought I was pretty much done when it happened.”

McEnroe was disappointed to let such a lead slip.

“He got some confidence and as I’ve said to you probably a hundred times, when it comes down to a tie-break it’s a roll of the dice. I didn’t get a good enough start and the next thing you know you’ve lost,” he said.

Elsewhere in Group A, Pat Cash scored an impressive 6-4, 7-6 win over Guy Forget.

In Group B, South African Airways Champions Tour Rankings No.1 Sergi Bruguera began his campaign in typical fashion, blasting past Henri Leconte 6-2, 6-3.

“I think I played really well,” said Bruguera.

“The first match is always difficult, especially with Henri because he plays so fast and so quick with no rhythm. I feel happy with my performance.”

The final match of the day saw Cedric Pioline score a 6-4, 6-3 win over Thomas Muster.

MCENROE’S DAVIS CUP PREVIEWS

USA vs. SWEDEN

“I think that if the United States plays up to its ability, which is always a question, then I think they have a lot more firepower. Certainly they have an edge in the doubles; you’ve got guys that have played together for a long time but also Bjorkman is one of the best doubles players around. I think it would have been better for Sweden if they had played on clay but their guys play better on a fast court so that’s definitely taking a chance because both of our guys, Roddick and Blake play better on a hard court. So I feel like they played into our hands really. I’d be surprised if we didn’t win pretty comfortably, really. I know Johansson has had some good results in the past on hard courts but Roddick just destroyed him at The Open and it’s hard to see Sweden winning three matches.

I’m a little bit tight for my brother just because he’s being doing it for a while and hasn’t won it yet and the pressure’s on. But I think that the cards have fallen for him this year and playing Sweden there is difficult but it’s better than playing Argentina down in Argentina. He’s had some pretty good things happen and now if we get to the finals we’ll probably play at home so I think it looks good for us.

GREAT BRITAIN vs. CROATIA

“I think it’s a good way for Tim Henman to end his career and hopefully he’ll go out in style. It’s a good way for him to go out at Wimbledon without actually playing Wimbledon. He did the best he could in his career, he came close to doing something a lot of people think he should have done. He had that one great chance the year that Goran won it and I think he got the most out of his ability. I think he should be proud of what he did and I think he knows he maximised what he had. He wasn’t as gifted physically as others and didn’t have all the tools, so he did really well.

“I’m not that familiar with Marin Cilic, and Ivan Ljubicic isn’t playing as well as he has been in the past. I would be surprised if Britain didn’t win, although it would have been a lot tougher if Croatia had their full team out. It’s not the same as playing Croatia on grass with (Ivo) Karlovic and (Mario) Ancic. It’s fallen for the British a little like how it’s fallen for the States. I think Henman will finish on a high. Ljubicic isn’t a gimme match, but I think Tim will enjoy the experience and be able to use the crowd more than he did at Wimbledon.”

RESULTS – THURSDAY 20th SEPTEMBER

Pat Cash d. Guy Forget 6-4, 7-6
Sergi Bruguera d. Henri Leconte 6-2, 6-3
Mikael Pernfors d. John McEnroe 4-6, 6-4, 10-7 (Champions’ Tie-Break)
Cedric Pioline d. Thomas Muster 6-4 6-3


GROUP A
Matches won/lost (sets)
Pat Cash 1-0 (2-0)
Mikael Pernfors 1-0 (2-1)
John McEnroe 0-1 (1-2)
Guy Forget 0-1 (0-2)

GROUP B
Matches won/lost (sets)
Sergi Bruguera 1-0 (2-0)
Cedric Pioline 1-0 (2-0)
Thomas Muster 0-1 (0-2)
Henri Leconte 0-1 (0-2)


SCHEDULE – FRIDAY 21st SEPTEMBER

At 1pm
Cedric Pioline vs. Sergi Bruguera

Not before 2.30pm
John McEnroe vs. Pat Cash
Henri Leonte vs. Thomas Muster
Guy Forget vs. Mikael Pernfors