(sportsticker)
February 13, 2000

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA (TICKER) -- Mark Philippoussis and California are perfect together.

The hard-serving Australian powered his way to his third straight title in the state as he defeated unseeded Mikael Tillstrom of Sweden, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, today to successfully defend his title at the $375,000 Sybase Open.

Philippoussis, seeded second, broke for a 3-1 lead in the third set and sealed his eighth career ATP Tour title with his 19th ace of the match.

"Once I get a (service) break, I get pumped up," Philippoussis said. "I feel the adrenaline is there. I just get more confident and that's very important for me."

The 23-year-old earned $49,500 for the victory, which most likely will move him into the top 10 in the ATP Champions Race for No. 1.

It was the first time that Philippoussis successfully defended a title and he also became the first player to win back-to-back Sybase Opens since Pete Sampras in 1996-97. After winning this event last year, Philippoussis captured the Tennis Masters event in Indian Wells, California.

"Right now I'm feeling a lot stronger, mentally and physically," Philippoussis said. "This whole week has been great. You've still got to win five matches, even with (Andre) Agassi out. Every match got better and better."

Both players held serve in the first set until the 12th game, when Tillstrom double-faulted on break point to give Philippoussis the set.

The Swede bounced right back as he broke Philippoussis in the first game of the second set. They held serve for the remainder of the set as two straight forehand errors by the Australian in the 10th game allowed Tillstrom to level the match.

Tillstrom was seeking his first ATP Tour title since claiming his only career tournament win in Chennai, India in 1997.

Despite the loss, it was impressive week for the 27-year-old Tillstrom, who survived three three-set matches and knocked out three seeds en route to the final, including two-time champion Michael Chang.



Philippoussis beats Tillstrom in final
(dailysoccer.com)
By Matthew Cronin
SAN JOSE, California, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Coming up with big
serves and clever shotmaking at big moments, Australian Mark
Philippoussis successfully defended his title at the $375,000
Sybase Open on Sunday with a 7-5 4-6 6-3 win over unseeded Swede
Mikael Tillstrom.
"It's a great feeling," said Philippoussis, who won his
eighth career title. "It always tough to come back and defend a
title. It does a lot for my self-confidence."
Tillstrom, who knocked off three seeds this week, said he ran
out of gas.
"I was sore," said Tillstrom. "The four matches before I had
to run a lot from the baseline. I wasn't moving as well as I did
during the week."
As he has much of the week, Philippoussis struggled with his
returns of serves and backhands much of the contest but whenever
he fell into serious trouble, he produced a huge serve or
sterling forehand.
Tillstrom, a 27-year-old journeyman, played his best tennis
of the week, surprising his foe with frequent net rushes, soft
drop shots and penetrating crosscourt forehands.
The two wowed the crowd in the first set with spectacular
end-to-end rallies. Using a variety of angles and speeds on his
serves, Tillstrom appeared to have Philippoussis confused but at
5-6, the Aussie broke him with a couple of thunderous returns and
watched Tillstrom double fault on set point.
"I had a better start than my other matches because I wasn't
broken straight off," Philippoussis said. "I thought that would
be the same today when I was down 0-30 in the first game. It took
a lot of pressure off myself when I was able to hold."
Tillstrom broke Philippoussis to open the second set by
forcing a forehand error and never looked back, winning the set
with a thumping serve down the middle that the Aussie hit high
into the scoreboard.
But Philippoussis didn't become unnerved, gamely hanging with
Tillstrom from the baseline and breaking him to go ahead 4-1 in
the third set when the Swede pushed a forehand wide.
Philippoussis was never pushed on his service games, ending the
match with a 137 mph (220 kph) ace.
"It's tough when he serves like that," said Tillstrom. "I've
been down before and came back and I told myself to jump on his
serves if I got a chance, but I didn't get any. He played
solid."
Philippoussis served 19 aces in the match and smoked 14
serves faster than 130 mph (210 kph). In the third set, he turned
up the volume.
"I knew I need a good start to the third set and I came out
firing, took some chances and towards the end hit the ball as
well as I had all week," Philippoussis said. "Once I get a break
my adrenaline kicks in, my serve gets harder without me even
realising."
Since he broke through on the tour five years ago by reaching
the Scottsdale final as a 19-year-old, Philippoussis has looked
to be on the verge of winning a Grand Slam title or entering the
top five.
Last year after winning San Jose and an elite Tennis Masters
title at Indian Wells three weeks later, he appeared to be on his
way. But up a set on Pete Sampras at Wimbledon, Philippoussis
tore cartilage in his knee and had to undergo surgery. He didn't
regain his form until late last autumn.
Now he appears ready to join the elite.
"I've had a good start to this year," said Philippoussis, who
is now ninth in the ATP Champions race.
"I'm hitting the ball well and have a lot of self-belief. The
most important thing is to stay healthy this year and commit
myself in every match I play," he said.
"I don't like to talk much but I've been concentrating on all
parts of my game and I feel comfortable on all surfaces," he
added.
"If I stay healthy, it could be an exciting year for me."



Philippoussis Defends At Sybase -- On To Bigger Glory?
by Joel Drucker (Sybase Tourney Site; 02/13/2000)

San Jose, CA -- The recent history of San Jose is all about emerging forces -- entrepreneurs, engineers and executives. So it only makes sense that one of tennis' emerging forces -- big-bombing Australian Mark Philippoussis -- would repeat as champion at the Sybase Open. In beating Swedish slasher Mikael Tillstrom, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, Philippoussis earned his eighth ATP Tour tournament victory, $49,500 and vaulted his way from 19 to nine on the ATP Champions Race. More importantly, it was the first time in his career that he successfully defended a title.

"It's important for me to defend this title," said Philippoussis. "I don't like to make tournaments warmup events."

To steal a line from Jim Courier, Philippoussis' semifinal victim, the outcome of this final was indeed in the Aussie's hands. After grubbing out a tight first set, 7-5, he went AWOL a bit in the second before regrouping just enough to earn one service break, closing out the match with a 137 mph ace. All told, Philippoussis struck 14 serves in excess of 130 mph.

"I played a good match, and as it went on, I played better and better," said Philippoussis. "Towards the third set, I hit the ball as hard as I did all week. Once I get a break, I get pumped, the adrenaline, my serve is harder without me realizing."

Yet the most significant implication of Philippoussis' Sybase Open victory is how it aids his quest for Grand Slam glory. For years, he's been touted as big-time champ. And we don't just mean a one-shot boutique champ. "Virtually everyone in the sport believes Philippoussis has the goods to win multiple Slams -- including me," says Sybase Open tournament director Barry MacKay. But there've invariably been factors that have complicated his ascent -- from woes with his father and fellow Aussies to his mental focus and physical well-being.

But perhaps now, at last, just maybe, Philippoussis is on the verge of his big breakthrough. His victory here a year ago propelled him to a big win in Indian Wells. Last summer at Wimbledon, he was up a set versus Pete Sampras before a sudden knee injury forced him to default. A tight loss to Andre Agassi at the Australian Open was no doubt frustrating, but also encouraging. If Philippoussis were a stock, you'd still say he had an enormous upside. Now it's time for him to start shipping even higher-powered products.

As for the tournament, the lemon of Andre Agassi's last-minute withdrawal eventually turned into lemonade -- a record attendance figure of 71,055.

Philippoussis serves notice
Sybase Open title could be steppingstone for rising star
BY MICHAEL MARTINEZ
Mercury News Staff Writer

Mikael Tillstrom had a tough day trying to return Mark Philippoussis' laser-like serve Sunday in the Sybase Open final, but he wasn't the only person who wanted to run for cover. So did 11-year-old Leslie Lipsick.

Philippoussis served 19 aces -- including a best of 137 mph on match point -- to beat Tillstrom 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 and win the Sybase for a second consecutive year. Lipsick's day was no better. The ballgirl's left arm got in the way of one of Philippoussis' serves, and an hour later she was still rubbing it.

``It felt kind of numb,'' she said. ``I got behind the umpire after that.''

Tillstrom had nowhere to hide. Philippoussis, the No. 2 seed who benefited from the withdrawal of top-seeded Andre Agassi last week, ended his weeklong run at San Jose Arena with 59 aces. He served 14 against Tillstrom that were 130 mph or faster.

``You know he's going to hit aces,'' the unseeded Tillstrom said. ``You just have to accept it.''

Philippoussis' serve was broken once in the 1-hour, 48-minute match in front of an announced crowd of 7,588, and his victory was his eighth on the ATP Tour. He has yet to win a Grand Slam tournament but appears poised to make a breakthrough after reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon last year.

``I don't like to talk much,'' Philippoussis said. ``I just go out and let my tennis do my talking. But this could be an exciting year for me.''

His week was pretty good, too. He was extended to three sets three times, but his serve usually bailed him out of trouble. His all-around game has not quite caught up with his serve, but at 23 he has time to improve.

``There are not a lot of players around, outside of (Pete) Sampras and Agassi, who you could say have the potential to win a string of Slams,'' said Gavin Hopper, Philippoussis' coach. ``We'd all be closing our eyes or hiding our heads if we didn't think he was capable of doing it. But doing it and saying it are two different things.''

Philippoussis has had close calls. He won the first set against Sampras at Wimbledon last July before retiring because of a cartilage tear in his left knee. Last month, he advanced to the fourth round at the Australian Open before losing to Agassi, the eventual champion.

``Maybe I would've won that match against Pete, or maybe I would've lost the next three sets,'' Philippoussis said. ``I don't know. But it took me to a positive stage in my life. Things happen for a reason, and it made me a tougher player and a stronger person.''

Against Tillstrom, Philippoussis needed all his resolve. But a key call in the last game of the opening set helped him take a lead and momentarily unhinged Tillstrom.

With Tillstrom serving at 30-all, Philippoussis hit a cross-court forehand that was called good by the linesman. Tillstrom argued briefly -- a TV replay appeared to show the ball was wide -- but chair umpire Steve Ullrich agreed with the call. Tillstrom double-faulted on the next point, giving Philippoussis the set 7-5.

``I'm pretty sure it was a bad call,'' Tillstrom said. ``I lost the set because of that. But I can't change it. I can't start thinking, `What if?' ''

Tillstrom recovered to win the second set, but Philippoussis got a service break in the fourth game of the third set and kept booming his serve, winning the fifth game with a 127 mph ace. There were just three service breaks in the match.

``It's hard to get in a rhythm when he's serving,'' Tillstrom said. ``So when it's your time to serve, you don't really know how it feels to be in a rally because there's hardly any rallies when he's serving.''

Philippoussis, who conceded that he watches the speed clock to see how fast he's serving, acknowledged that he sometimes doesn't know his own strength.

``I get pumped,'' he said. ``My serve is hard without my realizing it's harder.''

Tell that to Tillstrom -- and Leslie Lipsick.


No. 4 seeds Jan-Michael Gambill and Scott Humphries won the doubles title with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over unseeded Lucas Arnold and Eric Taino.

The absence of Agassi (bad back) and Sampras, who elected not to play because of Davis Cup commitments, didn't seem to affect attendance. Although Sunday's crowd was smaller than last year's final-day total of 8,085, attendance for the week was 71,055, a Sybase record. Last year's weeklong attendance was 69,230.

The dates for the 2001 Sybase were moved back two weeks to Feb. 26-March 3 to avoid any possible conflicts with the Davis Cup, tournament director Barry MacKay said.

Next stop Memphis for Scud
By Adam Briscomb