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Charity wins, thanks to Sampras and Laver

By: Mike Szostak, Providence Journal

July 16, 2007

NEWPORT – A broken string and two Hall of Fame autographs netted the Tim and Tom Gullikson Foundation $55,000 yesterday.

Pete Sampras, inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday, returned yesterday morning to play a singles exhibition against Todd Martin in the opening match of the Hall of Fame Classic.

When he broke a string on the only racket he had, someone handed him a Rod Laver wood racket, and he won a few points with it before using a more up-to-date model.

Sampras later signed his racket and Laver, who was on hand for the event, autographed his, and the bidding began. The two racquets sold for $55,000. A Hall of Fame official could not provide information on the winning bidder.

Sampras defeated Martin, 7-5.

In a mixed doubles match, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, also inducted Saturday, and Martin defeated local favorite Jill Craybas and former touring pro Richey Renneberg, 3-1.

And in a doubles exhibition, Tom Gullikson, who won the Hall of Fame championship at 33 in 1985, his only singles title on the ATP tour, and former pro Brian Gottfried, defeated Paul Annacone, Sampras’s ex-coach, and Hall of Famer Stan Smith, 3-1.

The event drew a crowd of 3,671. Proceeds benefited the Hall of Fame and the Gullikson Foundation, which supports programs for brain tumor patients and their families.

Jordan Kerr of Australia and Jim Thomas of the U.S. won their third consecutive Hall of Fame doubles title yesterday, 6-3, 7-5, over Nathan Healey of Australia and Igor Kunitsyn of Russia.

The top-seeded team of Wesley Moodie of South Africa and Fabrice Santoro of France withdrew after the first round to concentrate on singles. Santoro won the singles title, beating Moodie in the semifinals.

“We talked about it, and I think it was a good decision,” Santoro said.

Despite the lack of big names, the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships continue to be a popular draw. The Saturday and Sunday sessions were sold out, and the Hall of Fame Classic yesterday morning was sold out. Total attendance for the week was 22,132.

Filed under: Archives 2003 to 2011

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