Roddick ties Sampras record in Little Rock
April 17, 2015
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — Andy Roddick won his fifth title on the 2015 PowerShares Series title Friday defeating John McEnroe 6-3 in the one-set final of the Champions Cup at the Jack Stephens Center at the University of Arkansas – Little Rock.
With Roddick’s fifth tournament win on the 2015 PowerShares Series, he equals the Pete Sampras mark for most PowerShares Series titles won in a year with five. So far this year, Roddick has won titles in Los Angeles, Lincoln, Neb., Chicago, Austin, Texas and Little Rock – posting a perfect 10-0 match record. In 2011, Sampras won five PowerShares Series titles, winning Fort Lauderdale, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Seattle and Surprise, Ariz.
“I’ve been playing more tennis the last year. I’ve been enjoying it a lot,” said the 32-year-old Roddick of his recent form. “I play a couple of times a week now. Winning is fun, but I really, really just enjoy playing tennis.”
Roddick retired from the ATP World Tour at the 2012 U.S. Open and joined the PowerShares Series circuit in 2014, playing three events and winning two in Birmingham, Alabama and Denver, Colorado.
To reach the final Friday night, Roddick defeated Jim Courier 6-2, while McEnroe defeated Mark Philippoussis 6-3 in the four-player event.
McEnroe, 56, reached the final for the second time on the 2015 PowerShares Series, also losing to Roddick in the final in Chicago on April 2. Said Roddick of McEnroe post-match on Friday, “I promise you one thing that you will never see a 56-year-old ever play at the level of John McEnroe.”
Roddick remains in the lead in the PowerShares Series points rankings – taking a player’s best four tournament results during the season – with 1600 points, followed by Philippoussis with 700 points. McEnroe is in third place with 600 points, followed by Courier and James Blake with 500 points and Andre Agassi with 200 points.
The PowerShares Series, the 12-city tennis circuit for champion tennis players over the age of 30, continues Saturday April 18 in Dallas at the Moody Coliseum at Southern Methodist University. Roddick will go for a record sixth straight title and will be joined by McEnroe, Courier and Philippoussis. For full schedule, player and ticket information, go to www.PowerSharesSeries.com
The remaining PowerShares Series schedule with full fields are as follows:
In 2014, John McEnroe won the points title for the first time in the nine-year history of Champions Series tennis by winning events in Kansas City, Indianapolis, Nashville and Charlotte. McEnroe was followed in the points standings by Blake in second place and Roddick in third place.