Tennis legends bring PowerShares tournament to Vines Center

  • Legends of Tennis event brings tennis players to Liberty University to play each other, with James Blake winning the tournament.
  • Tennis players John McEnroe, Michael Chang and Andy Roddick also spoke to students during Convocation Monday, Oct. 16.

The PowerShares tournament, a nationwide tennis contest featuring some of the game’s most successful retired tennis players, made a stop in the Vines Center at Liberty University Monday, Oct. 16.

Also known as the Legends of Tennis event, the PowerShares tournament featured John McEnroe, Michael Chang, Andy Roddick and James Blake, all renowned tennis icons. With a four-person bracket, two semifinal matches were played followed by a final.

For the first match, Roddick, who currently holds first place in the PowerShares tournament with 1600 points, fell to Blake with a final score of 6-3. McEnroe then defeated Chang 7-5 before losing to Blake 4-2 in the final.

“We can’t quite play like we used to,” Blake said in an interview following the first semifinal match. “But we can punish each other just the same.”

Although competitive, the players didn’t refrain from joking with each other and reacting to comments from the crowd.

McEnroe, famous for his temper tantrums, didn’t hesitate to aggressively slam his racket on the court after frustrating rallies. Other times, he acted angry, eliciting laughs and cheers from the crowd.

“I think all in all, it was a great experience for everyone involved,” Ashley Lison, executive director for LU Stages, said. “Liberty has a reputation for being a place that a lot of people want to visit.”

Although LU Stages was the main organizer of the event, Liberty Athletics, University Events and PowerShares were among the other groups that organized the tournament.

“(LU) Stages technically put on the event,” Lison said. “But it was a collaborative effort from a bunch of different departments.”

According to Lison, about 3,000 people attended the event, which lasted from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., and traveled from various locations like Charlottesville and even North Carolina.

“Not everyone in the stands was affiliated with Liberty,” Lison said. “It was one of the better turnouts.”

Prior to the evening event, Chang, Roddick and McEnroe spoke during Liberty’s convocation. They answered questions about their careers and shared memories from the professional circuit.

McEnroe, who turned professional in 1978, won seven Grand Slams during his career and was nationally ranked at No. 1 for four years, according to aptworldtour.com.

In 1989, Chang defeated tennis legend Ivan Lendl in a French Open semi-final match at age 17. He then beat Stefan Edburg in the finals, becoming the youngest male player to ever win a Grand Slam title.

“It’s been a fun journey,” Chang said during convocation. “I’m so thankful for the talent that was given to me, and I’ve had a lot of fun along the way.”

During his first match against McEnroe in the Legends of Tennis PowerShares event—the second match of the event—Chang received loud cheers for returning McEnroe’s slam behind his back, reflecting his versatile playstyle from his professional career.

Despite trailing four sets to one, Chang narrowed the deficit to 6-5 before losing the final set.

The final match between McEnroe and Blake went back and forth. Neither player could comfortably outplay the other.

After McEnroe won the first game 40-0, the tables quickly turned in Blake’s favor. Despite the first set loss, Blake fought the deficit to claim victory in the second game 40-0.

Fans sat in silence during rallies, their heads panning left and right as the players volleyed. Following the third set, which tilted in Blake’s favor (40-30), McEnroe slammed his racket against the court in frustration, returning to his classic routine. McEnroe won one more set before Blake claimed victory in the sixth game.

“I did my best to hit my targets,” Blake said following his victory.

The PowerShares tournament made its final stop in Los Angeles Sunday, Oct. 22.

 

 

 

 

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