Eight best teams prepare for ATP world double meet
Eight best teams prepare for ATP world double meet
JAKARTA (JP): Eight of the world's best teams are here now for
the ATP World Doubles championship, with seven of them hoping to
put a stop to the winning streak of title holders Paul Haarhuis
and Jacco Eltingh.
Since the heyday of the super team of John McEnroe and Peter
Fleming in 1978-1986, the World Doubles championship crown has
always changed hands, sometimes unexpectedly.
"They deserve the number one spot and perhaps the world
championship title due to their great showing this year," Todd
Woodbridge said of the Dutch world number one team after an extra
practice session at the Senayan indoor stadium yesterday.
Winners in 1992, Woodbridge and his Australian teammate Mark
Woodbridge came closer to retaining their title in Johannesburg
last year, but Eltingh and Haarhuis won the heart-stopping final.
The solid Dutch team won another head-to-head clash with the
Woodies in the U.S. Open final in September.
The tennis world this year has seen both singles and doubles
champions secure their number one spots just before the season
ends. With Pete Sampras adding the world championship crown to
his number one tag, the doubles discipline is awaiting the same
result.
"I'm not sure we can defend our title. They are all 'best'
teams," Haarhuis said upon arrival on Saturday. "But we will try
to show that we are number one," added Eltingh. The pair romped
home with eight titles this year.
Despite the number of titles, Eltingh and Haarhuis swallowed
some bitter pills this year. They crashed out of the Seiko Open
after their second round defeat to wild carders Stefan Edberg and
Japan's Shuzo Matsuoka last month. The Dutch team were also
humiliated on home soil, giving up to minnows Udo Riglewski of
Germany and Italy's Diego Nargiso in Hilversum's quarterfinals in
July.
Chance
All the players tried to get used to the rebound-ace surface
of the stadium yesterday. Only the Dutch duo and Sweden's Jonas
Bjorkman had played at the stadium, the venue for the Nov. 23-27
event.
Bjorkman also admitted that the Dutch team were the red hot
favorites, but feels that he and his countryman Jan Apell, who
are making their World Doubles final debut, have the same chance
to walk away with the whopping winners check.
"Just wait and see," said Bjorkman yesterday. He beat Haarhuis
and Eltingh three times with three different partners this year.
The Swedish team also took their four titles on four different
surfaces.
The Swedes are grouped with their Dutch rivals, former world
number one team of Grant Connell and Patrick Galbraith and
Spanish duo Sergio Casal and Emilio Sanchez in Red Group.
The Woodies lead the White Group, where Zimbabwean-American
French Open doubles champions Byron Black and Jonathan Stark,
Australian David Adams and Russian Andrei Olhovsky and four-time
qualifiers Tom Nijssen and Cyril Suk flock together.
"Both groups have no difference. All are tough," said
Woodbridge, whose last win with Woodforde in the Stockholm Open
last month boosted them to the world number two spot.
The elite teams will play round-robin matches, starting
tomorrow. The two best doubles of each group will advance to the
cross-over semifinals on Saturday.
Organizers are scheduled to announce the draw today. They also
named yesterday the world number 10 Scott Melville and Piet
Norval in place of alternate team of Patrick McEnroe and Jared
Palmer, who opted out of the season-ending championship. (amd)
Groups
Red Group (seeds 1, 4, 5, 8):
Jacco Eltingh/Paul Haarhuis, Grant Connell/Patrick Galbraith, Jan
Apell/Jonas Bjorkman, Sergio Casal/Emilio Sanchez
White Group (seeds 2, 3, 6, 7):
Todd Woodbridge/Mark Woodforde, Byron Black/Jonathan Stark, David
Adams/Andrei Olhovsky, Tom Nijssen/Cyril Suk
JAKARTA (JP): Eight of the world's best teams are here now for
the ATP World Doubles championship, with seven of them hoping to
put a stop to the winning streak of title holders Paul Haarhuis
and Jacco Eltingh.
Since the heyday of the super team of John McEnroe and Peter
Fleming in 1978-1986, the World Doubles championship crown has
always changed hands, sometimes unexpectedly.
"They deserve the number one spot and perhaps the world
championship title due to their great showing this year," Todd
Woodbridge said of the Dutch world number one team after an extra
practice session at the Senayan indoor stadium yesterday.
Winners in 1992, Woodbridge and his Australian teammate Mark
Woodbridge came closer to retaining their title in Johannesburg
last year, but Eltingh and Haarhuis won the heart-stopping final.
The solid Dutch team won another head-to-head clash with the
Woodies in the U.S. Open final in September.
The tennis world this year has seen both singles and doubles
champions secure their number one spots just before the season
ends. With Pete Sampras adding the world championship crown to
his number one tag, the doubles discipline is awaiting the same
result.
"I'm not sure we can defend our title. They are all 'best'
teams," Haarhuis said upon arrival on Saturday. "But we will try
to show that we are number one," added Eltingh. The pair romped
home with eight titles this year.
Despite the number of titles, Eltingh and Haarhuis swallowed
some bitter pills this year. They crashed out of the Seiko Open
after their second round defeat to wild carders Stefan Edberg and
Japan's Shuzo Matsuoka last month. The Dutch team were also
humiliated on home soil, giving up to minnows Udo Riglewski of
Germany and Italy's Diego Nargiso in Hilversum's quarterfinals in
July.
Chance
All the players tried to get used to the rebound-ace surface
of the stadium yesterday. Only the Dutch duo and Sweden's Jonas
Bjorkman had played at the stadium, the venue for the Nov. 23-27
event.
Bjorkman also admitted that the Dutch team were the red hot
favorites, but feels that he and his countryman Jan Apell, who
are making their World Doubles final debut, have the same chance
to walk away with the whopping winners check.
"Just wait and see," said Bjorkman yesterday. He beat Haarhuis
and Eltingh three times with three different partners this year.
The Swedish team also took their four titles on four different
surfaces.
The Swedes are grouped with their Dutch rivals, former world
number one team of Grant Connell and Patrick Galbraith and
Spanish duo Sergio Casal and Emilio Sanchez in Red Group.
The Woodies lead the White Group, where Zimbabwean-American
French Open doubles champions Byron Black and Jonathan Stark,
Australian David Adams and Russian Andrei Olhovsky and four-time
qualifiers Tom Nijssen and Cyril Suk flock together.
"Both groups have no difference. All are tough," said
Woodbridge, whose last win with Woodforde in the Stockholm Open
last month boosted them to the world number two spot.
The elite teams will play round-robin matches, starting
tomorrow. The two best doubles of each group will advance to the
cross-over semifinals on Saturday.
Organizers are scheduled to announce the draw today. They also
named yesterday the world number 10 Scott Melville and Piet
Norval in place of alternate team of Patrick McEnroe and Jared
Palmer, who opted out of the season-ending championship. (amd)
Groups
Red Group (seeds 1, 4, 5, 8):
Jacco Eltingh/Paul Haarhuis, Grant Connell/Patrick Galbraith, Jan
Apell/Jonas Bjorkman, Sergio Casal/Emilio Sanchez
White Group (seeds 2, 3, 6, 7):
Todd Woodbridge/Mark Woodforde, Byron Black/Jonathan Stark, David
Adams/Andrei Olhovsky, Tom Nijssen/Cyril Suk