Former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic took a major step towards the final of the Vale do Lobo Grand Champions CGD after defeating defending champion Sergi Bruguera in a hard-fought contest on the BlackRoack Tour of Champions in the Algarve on Wednesday.
Ivanisevic, recently voted Most Famous Croatian in the world, came through 6-3, 1-6, 10-6 (Champions Tie-break) to top his group following his opening victory over Henri Leconte on Tuesday.
“It was a strange match,” said the 2001 Wimbledon champion. “I played an unbelievably good first set and and an unbelievably bad second set, but I managed to get through in the tie-break.”
For Bruguera, who lost both of his matches against Ivanisevic on hard courts when they met on the ATP Tour, it was always going to be a challenge to get the famous serve back. “I think when he’s 60 years old, he’s going to be serving like that,” said Bruguera. “You have to play well for sure and I think we showed tonight that our tennis is still there.”
Algarve Event Profile | Order of Play
Borg, Federer To Team Up In Special Event
Exclusive Video: Borg vs. McEnroe - Inside The Rivalry
Ivanisevic will now face last year’s runner-up Fernando Meligeni in his last match in the Vale do Lobo Group, where a win will seal his place in Friday’s final.
Earlier in the day, Meligeni claimed a 6-3, 3-6, 10-7 victory over Henri Leconte to keep his slim hopes of a first BlackRock Tour title alive. “I hope I can claim my first title here, I’m going to keep trying, but we have a very tough group with Henri, Sergi and Goran. If Goran keeps serving like he did yesterday at 209 kmh, it’s going to be very tough.”
RIOS WINS CLASH OF SOUTH AMERICAN LEGENDS
Former World No. 1 Marcelo Rios overcame fellow South American legend Guillermo Vilas in the Vale do Lobo Grand Champions CGD to keep his title hopes firmly alive in Portugal on Wednesday.
Rios, the 32-year-old from Chile, claimed his second group win of the tournament with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Argentine Vilas, who will celebrate his 56th birthday on August 17.
“It’s a lot of fun to play against Guillermo,” said Rios. “Playing on the BlackRock Tour gives us the possibility to play guys we never had the chance to play before. It’s good to see how tennis has changed over the years from different generations. It’s also nice to play one of the best players in the world and one of the best players ever in the history of tennis and it’s something for me to remember.”
Rios will now meet British alternate Chris Wilkinson for a place in Friday’s final, and the Chilean sent out an ominous warning to his rivals. “Everybody wants to win here,” said Rios. “It’s more entertaining and more fun, but we still want to win.”
For Vilas, who reached a career-high No. 2 in the world eight months before Rios was born in 1975, it was a good chance to compete against a new generation. “I never played against him when I was playing, so it’s good to play him now,” said the Argentine. “It would have been nice to play against [the injured] Thomas Muster but to be able to play Marcelo and connect the history of both is nice, I enjoyed it. It was an hour and 45 minutes, so it was good.”
Vilas, who is making his debut in the Algarve tournament, added: “It’s a great place, very nice here, a lot of things to do with everything’s close by. It’s a great atmosphere, nice walks, you have the ocean, tennis, gym, food everywhere, it’s very nice, really a great location.”
Tuesday: Bruguera Begins Defence In Style; Says Rafa To Stay No. 1
Preview: Bruguera Set To Defend Algarve Title
