Top four world pairs secure ATP finals
JAKARTA (JP): With only four key tournaments remaining, the top four world pairs have secured their part in the Association of Tennis Professional (ATP) doubles championship final here in November.
The latest ATP doubles rankings confirmed that season leaders Jacco Eltingh and Paul Haarhuis of the Netherlands, number two Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, third ranked Grant Connell of Canada and Patrick Galbraith of the U.S., and number four Byron Black of Zimbabwe and his American teammate Jonathan Stark have collected enough points and mathematically qualify for the final held for the first time ever in Indonesia.
Eight finalists are tipped to play round robin matches during the Nov. 23-27 at the Senayan indoor stadium, vying for a total of US$1.4 million prize money which includes a bonus for the year-end number one pair.
The four entries left will be decided in the following seven weeks, when ATP championship series will be staged in various sites around the world.
"It's exciting to see the race shaping up for the remaining spots," World Doubles tournament director Russell Barlow told a press conference yesterday at the Jakarta Hilton International Hotel, the host for the world doubles players during the final.
The race for vital ranking points will start at the Ansett Australian indoor tournament in Sydney next week, where at least five of the world's top doubles are scheduled to play, with the winning pair earning 280 points. They will travel to the Seiko Open in Tokyo in the following week, battling for another winners' 280 points.
Decisive
The last two key events will be held in Stockholm and Paris, having 330 and 380 points respectively.
Three events in Moscow, Antwerp and Buenos Aires held simultaneously Nov. 7-13 will probably serve as decisive ones in case the complete field for the World Doubles Championship are not fulfilled until the final week of the season as happened last year.
Dutchmen Eltingh and Haarhuis, last year's champions in Johannesburg, South Africa, will make their second trip here this year after taking four titles, including the Australia Open and the U.S. Open, Grand Slam's opening and closing championships.
Australia's "Woodies" have earned also four titles to date. The 1992 World Doubles champions carved out their second successive victory in Wimbledon last July. They lost to the Dutch pair in the recent U.S. Open.
Left-handed duo of Connell and Galbraith, who finished 1993 as the number one pair, won in three tournaments in Indian Wells and Washington and reached the finals in Stuttgart and Wimbledon.
Black and Stark are assured of the ticket to Jakarta for their victories in Memphis, the French Open and Toronto.
Jakarta has been chosen to host the ATP Tour World Doubles final for two straight years. "We also hope to bring the next three finals here," Barlow said.
World Doubles Ranking (as of Sept. 21)
1. Eltingh/Haarhuis (Ned) 3345 2. Woodbridge/Woodforde (Aus) 2762 3. Connell (Can)/Galbraith (USA) 2659 4. Black (Zim)/Stark (USA) 2594 5. Adams (Aus)/Olhovsky (Rus) 1954 6. Apell/Bjorkman (Swe) 1685 7. Nijssen (Ned)/Suk (Cze) 1442 8. Casal/Sanchez (Spa) 1296 9. Holm/Jarryd (Swe) 1245 10. Kulti/Larsson (Swe) 1049