Philippoussis Defeats Agassi in PowerShares Series Champions Shootout

March 25, 2015 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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In the opening event of the 2015 PowerShares Series circuit, Australian Mark Philippoussis beat American Andre Agassi 7-6(4) in last night’s final from the Huntsman Center at the University of Utah.

The event was groundbreaking in that it was the first pro event to only use Hawk-Eye technology for line calls. Players had to make their own line calls but had unlimited challenges.

Agassi was unable to handle Philippoussis’ serve and even had the strings broke in all three of his racquets, forcing him to use one of Philippoussis’ racquets to finish the match. Even so, Philippoussis’ serve was just too powerful for Agassi.

“A match like this could go either way,” said Agassi. “I had some chances early on, and when you get down to a breaker with Mark you have to execute on the right points. He did that tonight, but it was a lot of fun trying to chase down his shots.”

The semifinals took place earlier in the night, with Agassi ousting Jim Courier 6-3 and Philippoussis beating James Blake 6-3.

“The objective is to come out here and play tennis where people don’t get a chance to see it professionally and have a great time,” said Agassi of the event’s goals. “Hopefully, we can inspire another generation of kids to enjoy tennis.”

The circuit continues tonight when it makes a stop in Los Angeles, Calif. at the Galen Center on the University of Southern California’s campus. Tonight’s matches will feature four Americans, as Andy Roddick and Pete Sampras join Blake and Courier.

Below is the full schedule for the entire PowerShares circuit this year:

March 25: Los Angeles, Calif.
Pete Sampras vs. Jim Courier & Andy Roddick vs. James Blake

April 1: Lincoln, Neb.
Andy Roddick vs. Jim Courier & James Blake vs. John McEnroe

April 2: Chicago, Ill.
John McEnroe vs. Jim Courier & Andy Roddick vs. James Blake

April 16: Austin, Texas
John McEnroe vs. Jim Courier & Andy Roddick vs. James Blake

April 17: Little Rock, Ark.
Andy Roddick vs. Jim Courier & John McEnroe vs. Mark Philippoussis

April 18: Dallas, Texas
John McEnroe vs. Jim Courier & Andy Roddick vs. Mark Philippoussis

April 22: Boston, Mass.
John McEnroe vs. Jim Courier & Andy Roddick vs. James Blake

April 23: Richmond, Va.
Jim Courier vs. Andy Roddick & John McEnroe vs. James Blake

April 29: Minneapolis, Minn.
John McEnroe vs. James Blake & Andy Roddick vs. Michael Chang

April 30: Cincinnati, Ohio
Andy Roddick vs. James Blake & John McEnroe vs. Michael Chang

May 2: Vancouver, Canada
Michael Chang vs. Mark Philippoussis & Pete Sampras vs. John McEnroe


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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