April 2, 2008
If court tennis is your game, you might want to check out the showdown between second-ranked Steve Virgona of Australia and third-ranked Camden Riviere of Newport in the Final Eliminator Round of the World Championship. The match is scheduled for 6:30 tonight at the National Tennis Club at that International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport. The winner will play the defending world champion, Robert Fahey, next month in France for the 2008 title.
Riviere, 20, is originally from Aiken, S.C., but resides in Newport and is training with Josh Bainton of Newport.
For ticket information, call the National Tennis Club at 401-849-6672.
Posted by Mike Szostak 
at 11:59 AM | Permalink
March 24, 2008
Mardy Fish, the American who upset top-ranked Roger Federer, 6-3, 6-2, in the semifinals of the Masters Series tennis tournament at Indian Wells, Calif., Saturday, has entered the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport in July. Fish was ranked No. 98 on the men's pro tour last week, but after beating fourth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko, 24th-seeded Lleyton Hewitt, seventh-seeded David Nalbanian and Federer, his ranking improved to No. 40 today. Five years ago, Fish was ranked as high as No. 19.
This will be Fish's seventh appearance in the Hall of Fame tournament. He reached the quarterfinals in 2000, 2002 and 2006. The event is scheduled for July 7-13 at the Newport Casino. Michael Chang. Mark McCormack (posthumously) and Eugene Scott (posthumously) will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 12. For ticket information, check tennisfame.com or call the tournament office at 866-914-FAME.
Posted by Mike Szostak at 2:59 PM | Permalink
January 23, 2008
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) - French Open winner Michael Chang was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and IMG creator Mark McCormack and Tennis Week magazine founder Eugene Scott were selected posthumously.
McCormack and Scott were selected in the contributor category, the hall announced Wednesday. The induction ceremony is July 12 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame and Museum.
Chang was only 17 when he won the 1989 French Open - the youngest male player to win a Grand Slam title. He was the first U.S. champion at the clay-court Grand Slam since Tony Trabert in 1955.
Chang's run to the French Open title included a memorable five-set upset of No. 1 Ivan Lendl in the fourth round, when a cramping Chang resorted to underhand serves. He defeated Stefan Edberg in the final.
Chang reached No. 2 in the rankings in 1996, finished runner-up three times at Grand Slam tournaments and won 34 singles titles.
McCormack, who died in 2003 at 72, was a sports marketing pioneer. He created International Management Group in 1960 and turned success in sports into commercial marketability. His clients included Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe.
Scott, a former top 20 player, founded Tennis Week in 1974 and served as its publisher and editor until he died in 2006 at 68. He also was a tournament director, player agent and author of more than 20 tennis books.
Posted by Mike McDermott at 12:37 PM | Permalink
