AAMI Classic Day 3

FRIDAY 15TH JANUARY

MATCH 1
Fernando GONZALEZ v Ivan LJUBICIC

In their last hitout before next week's Australian Open, this was a hotly
consisted match from the first ball.
Ljubicic, a late call up for the classic, started well with precise booming
serves and a classical singled handed backhand. Both players held serve
relatively easily in the early stages but it was Gonzalez who looked the
more threatening. He achieved the only break midway through the first set
and went on to serve out the set 63. The second set was a tug of war.
Winners flowed from both ends as neither could make a back through on their
opponents service games. The set inevitably headed for the tie breaker. It
was only a slightly dubious line call that separated the pair at 7 points
all.It fell in the favour of Gonzalez and he went on to serve out the tie
breaker 9 points to 7. Thus winning the match 63 76.

MATCH 2
Jo Wilfred TSONGA v Tommy HAAS

In a change to the schedule due to the injury and subsequent pullout of the
tournament by Juan Martin Del Potro, Ali Tsonga was matched up against the
ladies favourite, Haas.
Tsonga, one of the best athletes on the tour, has been looking the goods all
week. He certainly didn't let up today and Haas was at times left in his
wake. One serve break in both sets secured another straight sets win for Jo
Wilfred 64 63 thus seeing him line up for Saturday's final against Fernando
Verdasco. They are the two form players of the tournament and the sellout
crowd expected at the final will be witness to a thoroughly entertaining
final.

MATCH 3
Sam QUERREY v Sergiy STAKHOVSKY

An exhibition match was arranged for the final match of the day. Stakhovsky,
a fluent all court player, has had a very consistent rise up the rankings in
the past two seasons. Winning his first tour title in Zagreb 2008, he looked
at ease on the centre court at kooyong.It was he who grabbed a break to take
a 6 5 lead easily holding his next service game to take the first set 75.
Querrey in his second exhibition match in as many days was very thankful for
the valuable match practise leading into to the Australian Open. But it was
Stakhovsky with all the right moves taking the second set comfortably 63. A
straight sets winner 75 63 over a top 25 opponent was the perfect hitout for
Stakhovsky.

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AAMI Classic Day Two

MATCH 1
Fernando Gonzalez v Tommy Haas

In near perfect tennis playing conditions, Gonzalez looked on song from the
outset using his trademark huge forehand to good effect putting Haas on the
back foot and dominating the rallies. Haas was broken twice during the first
set and inevitably ended up losing the set 62. The second set was a much
more competitive affair. With many more extended rallies combined with some
good feel from both around the net. But it was Gonzalez who got the vital
and decisive break and thus served out the match for a very entertaining 62
64 win.


MATCH 2
Fernando Verdasco v Novak Djokovic
'
This was the marquee match up of the day. Both players had looked very
impressive in their opening matches and we were expecting much of the same
in today's match.
But it was the 2 time davis cup winner, Verdasco who came out of the blocks
quicker, showing why he made a great run through to the semi finals of the
Australian Open last year.
Huge forehands and some slightly flat play from Djokovic allowed Verdasco
to race through the first set dropping only one game to wrap it up 61.
Verdasco didn't let up in the second set and with Novak never really finding
his range throughout the match, he ran out an impressive upset winner 61 62.


MATCH 3
Robin Soderling v Ivan Ljubicic

Having both posted straight set loses in their first match, both were keen
to get a win on the board. Big hitting and big serving was the order of the
day. Soderling one of the hardest hitters on the tour with a tremendous
first serve and extremely accurate backhand down the line was prematch
favourite. But the veteran croat Ljubicic more than held his own and showed
some glimpses of the form that took him to number 3 in the world. Ljubicic
rode his luck and eventually eeked out a service break to close out the
first set 64.
Unfortunately that's where the match ended. Soderling hampered by a slight
elbow injury had to retire handing Ljubicic the win, 64 ret.

MATCH 4
Andy Murray v Sam Querrey

The Kooyong crowd were treated to an exhibition match to end the day.
Scotsman Andy Murray, a pre Australian Open favourite, displayed all the
versatility and court craft that has taken him to a winning record over
federer. The first set was a mismatch, Andy taking it out 61. Querrey, a
multiple finalist on the atptour in 2009 ( 1 win in Los angeles), found his
feet in the second set and displayed the big serve/forehand combination that
has seem him rise inside the top 25 in the world. But Murray's class shone
through and he closed out the match after one service break taking the
match 61 64.

- Wayne Arthurs

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Cash vs Leconte game to end the AAMI Classic

AAMI Classic fans are in for a nostalgic post-finals treat on Saturday, as tennis legends Pat Cash and Henri Leconte battle it out in what promises to be
a true vintage clash between two of the games favourite personalities.

With his big serve and aggressive attacking style, Cash is well known and loved by Australian tennis fans. Most memorable was his grand-slam win at Wimbledon in 1987, defeating number 1, Ivan Lendl in 3 sets. With his trademark black and white checkered headband, and his dangling cross earring, Cash won a total of 7 top-level singles and 12 tour doubles titles throughout his relatively short professional career.

His opponent, flamboyant Frenchman Henri Leconte was one of the games most extroverted and entertaining players. The swashbuckling left hander was known as the clown prince of tennis, famous for his gallic charm, sense of fun and stunning shot-making ability. Leconte won nine singles and ten doubles titles in his professional career, and at his height was ranked World No 5.

Although perhaps not quite as acrobatic or fast as they once were, the enduring skills and quality of both players is undeniable. Both Cash and Leconte still play professionally, in the ATP Champions tour, a circuit for the best former players in the world, where they continue to showcase their talents and thrill audiences of all ages.

That the game is being played at Kooyong is both pertinent and historic - the very same venue where both played in Australian Open and Davis Cup matches at the height of their careers.

The game will be a unique opportunity to glimpse the talents of these former heroes of the court. The old rivals are sure to entertain and provide fans with a fitting finale to the 2010 AAMI Classic.

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AAMI Classic Field Finalised

The eight-man field for the 2010 AAMI Classic assembled at Kooyong today for the annual players’ media conference.

Tournament Director, Colin Stubs, announced that Ivan Ljubicic (CR0 – ranked 24) will take the eighth spot in the field.

The 30 year old Monte Carlo resident has been a loyal supporter of the event in the past and has been waiting in the wings for his chance to participate.

The final line-up is as follows:

The draw for the event and the schedule of play for Wednesday, January 13, are attached. Matches on day one, showcasing all eight players, are worthy of a Grand Slam quarter-final fixture.

Scot Andy Murray will play the last match on Thursday outside of the format. His opponent is yet to be confirmed.

On Saturday, Kooyong fans are in for a treat when Pat Cash (AUS) takes on Henri Leconte (FRA) in a trip down memory lane, following the AAMI Classic finals, which begin at 1.00 pm.

Good weather forecast over the four days should see the Kooyong stands filled to capacity, with Saturday headed for a sell-out. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

Photo: Fiona Hamilton

For further details, please call Carol Wilson on 0407 064164 or Marie Kelley on 0417 168019.

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Eighth Spot Still Open

Roger Federer (SUI, ranked 1) has decided not to participate in the 2010 AAMI Classic at Kooyong. His manager, Tony Godsick, communicated with Tournament Director, Colin Stubs, this morning to say that Federer will not take up the option of eighth spot in the field, but appreciates Stubs holding the place for him until the last minute.

Federer was defeated by Nikolay Davydenko in the semi-finals at the Qatar Exxon Open this week.

Stubs will spend the next 48 hours exploring the best possible option for the eighth spot in his field.

Four players have already arrived in town (Novak Djokovic, Robin Soderling, Fernando Gonzalez, and Tommy Haas).  Djokovic and Soderling have both put in heavy practice sessions at Kooyong over the past two days and appear to be in great form.

Del Potro, Tsonga and Verdasco are expected in later today.

The players’ media conference will be held at Kooyong on Tuesday, January 12, at 11.00 am when the eighth player is expected to be announced.

For further details, please contact Marie Kelley (0417 168019) or Colin Stubs (0419 314642).

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Experience a day in a Corporate Suite

SPECIAL OFFER

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 13

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PLEASE CALL MARIE KELLEY on 9827.8422 or 0417 168019
or email marie@aamiclassic.com.au FOR FURTHER DETAILS

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Kooyong Calling

Wayne Arthurs is calling on an old favorite as he returns to the game as a coach and ambassador to the 2010 AAMI Classic, where some of the game's top names will once again assemble for a unique and popular event.

By Vivienne Christie

Download PDF to read more...

www.tennismag.com.au

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2010 Signings So Far

Three top ten players have been confirmed for the 2010 AAMI Classic at Kooyong (January 13-16), two of whom will be competing for the first time:

NOVAK DJOKOVIC

A warm welcome to NOVAK DJOKOVIC on his first appearance in the Kooyong line-up.

The 22 year old Serbian (nicknamed Nole) has had a good year to date and is currently ranked 4. He won the Dubai tournament in February and took out the inaugural Serbian Open in May. Other notable results are - finalist in Miami/Monte Carlo/Rome Masters & Halle; semi-finalist in Sydney, Marseille and Madrid Masters; quarter-finalist at the Australian Open, Indian Wells Masters and Wimbledon.

Djokovic won his first Grand Slam title at the 2007 Australian Open (defeated Tsonga) after only dropping one set during the fortnight. He was consistently ranked no. 3 from 13.8.07 until 11.5.09.

Coached by former Slovak Republic pro player Marian Vajda, he credits his family for giving him the inspiration to get to where he is today.

JO-WILFRIED TSONGA

Welcome also to another AAMI Classic new-comer, eighth-ranked JO-WILFRIED TSONGA, who will be a popular addition to the eight-man field.

The 24 year old Frenchman, who is coached by fellow countryman Eric Winogradsky, was born in Le Mans, but now resides in Switzerland.

Tsonga won the Marseille and Johannesburg tournaments this year (bringing his total titles to 4) and reached the quarter finals in Brisbane, Sydney, Australian Open, Miami Masters and Rotterdam.

He won the hearts of Australian tennis fans early last year when he made the semi-finals in Adelaide (after defeating Hewitt in the quarters) and then the final of the Australian Open, where he lost to Djokovic in four sets. He went on to reach the top 10 for the first time later that year after winning the inaugural AMS Shield in Paris.

FERNANDO VERDASCO

FERNANDO VERDASCO is returning to Kooyong for the second time, after beating Fernando Gonzalez in the play-off for third and fourth place here last January.

The 24 year old Madrid native is currently ranked 9, having reached a career high of 7 in April.

He ended 08 on a high note after playing a pivotal role in Spain’s Davis Cup win over Argentina. He followed up with a sizzling start to 09, reaching the final in Brisbane, followed by an epic semi-final performance at the Australian Open, where he lost to Rafael Nadal in the longest match in AO history - 5 hours, 14 minutes.

Verdasco attributes much of the turnaround in form and confidence to his sessions with Andre Agassi’s former fitness trainer, Gil Reyes, who works in Las Vegas with Darren Cahill and Sven Groeneveld in the adidas development program.

His other best results to date were reaching the fourth round at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, plus quarter-finals in Bastad, Barcelona and Madrid/Rome/Monte Carlo/Miami & Indian Wells Masters.

FERNANDO GONZALEZ

FERNANDO GONZALEZ, back for his fourth AAMI Classic, is a consistent crowd-pleaser.

Coached by Martin Rodriguez, the 29 year old from Santiago, Chile, is currently ranked 10. His highest ranking was 5 in 2007, following his loss to Federer in the Australian Open final.

Gonzalez began the year strongly, reaching the fourth round at the Australian Open. He went on to win the Vina del Mar tournament in his home country and reached the semis in Barcelona and the French Open, where he lost to eventual finalist Robin Soderling.

He is the first player to have won medals at successive Olympics – Gold in doubles, Bronze in singles in Athens 2004 and singles Silver in Beijing 2008.

Gonzalez has won 11 ATP World Tour titles and has a career record of 29-12 in Davis Cup.

www.gonzaleztenis.com

ROBIN SODERLING

The AAMI Classic is excited to announce the inclusion of one of the hottest players on the ATP World Tour at the moment – ROBIN SODERLING.

The Swede, now ranked 11, turned heads at Roland Garros when he got to the final of his first Grand Slam. Although losing to Roger Federer, he gained enormous respect for his efforts, which included a win over Rafael Nadal in the fourth round.

He followed up by making the round of 16 at Wimbledon and then taking out his fourth career title in Bastad in July.

The signs were apparent early in the year for the Monte Carlo resident, when he reached the quarter-finals in Auckland and semis in Brisbane.

Soderling is coached by former Swedish pro Magnus Norman.

TOMMY HAAS

German TOMMY HAAS will delight Kooyong fans with his stylish tennis for the fifth time in January.

The 31 year old, who has lived in the US full-time since the age of 13, is having a “purple patch” this year. Apart from winning in Halle, his best result was a semi-final appearance at Wimbledon, where he lost to Roger Federer, ending a 10 match winning streak.

His French Open form was also compelling. Although again losing to Federer, this time in the fourth round, he led by 2 sets to 0, eventually going down in 5.

Haas, ranked 20 and coached by Swede Thomas Hogstedt, reached the quarter-finals in San Jose and Houston earlier in the year.

www.tommyhaas.com

MARCOS BAGHDATIS

The amiable MARCOS BAGHDATIS will make his third AAMI Classic appearance.

Although ranked 148, Marcos has been working hard to regain the form and confidence which took him to a career high ranking of 8 in 2006.

He reached the quarter-finals in Johannesburg and Delray Beach earlier this year.

Marcos, on his website, talks about his most memorable matches:

• 2006 US Open loss to Andre Agassi - Agassi’s last win before retirement.
• 2006 Aust. Open semi-final win over David Nalbandian.
• 2007 Wimbledon quarter-final defeat by Novak Djokovic – match went approx. 5 hours and he lost 7-5 in the fifth.
• 2008 Aust. Open 5 set win over Lleyton Hewitt – match went until approx. 4.00 am.

Marcos’ engaging personality and infectious smile endeared him to Australian fans when he reached the final of the Australian Open in 2007 (lost to Roger Federer).

www.baghdatis.com

Event organizers are still working hard to secure the return of Roger Federer for his 6th AAMI Classic appearance. Watch this space.

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Roger Federer

Congratulations to Roger and Mirka on the birth of their twin girls, Charlene and Myla, on July 23.

Roger has had a remarkable year so far. He won the French Open and Wimbledon, thus becoming only the sixth man in history to achieve a career Grand Slam. He now has 15 Grand Slam titles, surpassing Pete Sampras’ record of 14. He achieved this feat in just 6 years, while it took Sampras 12.

His elusive French Open crown was won after 10 previous attempts. He then went on a month later to play in his 7th straight Wimbledon final, winning his sixth title, defeating Andy Roddick 16-14 in the fifth set.

Federer, having now regained the no. 1 mantle at the age of 27, has won 60 tour-level titles – equal to Andre Agassi, but still some way behind Jimmy Connors’ record total of 107.

His other best performances this year have been - winning Madrid Masters; finalist at the Australian Open (lost to Nadal); semi-finalist in Doha, Rome/ Miami/Indian Wells Masters.

His hometown of Basel recently changed the name of its international tennis venue to the “Roger Federer Arena” in honour of their favourite son.

The AAMI Classic is working hard to secure Roger’s return to Kooyong for the sixth time in January.

www.rogerfederer.com

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Kooyong – Beyond 2010

As the AAMI Classic gears up for another great event, Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club is completing major clubhouse extensions and renovations that will be enjoyed by players and spectators alike.

Kooyong - Beyond 2010 is an extensive $12 million development of our Club’s facilities and services.

More than two years in the planning, Kooyong - Beyond 2010 will ensure Kooyong continues to be a leading provider of tennis and other sporting and recreational opportunities, while providing a new and exciting space to showcase the rich history of the Club through the development of a ‘living’ museum complete with extensive exhibition areas.

The key features of the proposed development include:

• A stylish new clubhouse facade
• A feature entry and reception appropriate to Kooyong’s stature
• A ‘living’ museum with various exhibition areas to showcase the Club’s history and traditions
• A new clubhouse entry from the courts, incorporating a lift
• A new, larger gymnasium
• Defined Member and guest areas within the clubhouse
• Improved Member dining in the extended Racquet Club and Bar/Bistro
• Creation of a meeting room and library
• Increased terrace areas for the enjoyment and comfort of Members
• Establishment of a studio for lifestyle activities
• Environmental considerations, including low energy light fittings, energy efficient airconditioning, rainwater tanks and shading screens on western façade
• Improved traffic entry and exits
• Improved parking and traffic flow at the front of the clubhouse
• A new undercover car park
• New and upgraded airconditioning throughout the clubhouse
• New kitchen facilities adjacent to the function areas
• New toilets adjacent to the function areas and upgrade of the ground floor toilets
• Modern administration and interview offices to better serve Members

This facility will provide the AAMI Classic with the ideal venue for hosting the world’s best players as Kooyong continues its long history of hosting international tennis events.

We look forward to the 2010 AAMI Classic again being staged at this great Club.

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