Monday, 7/14/97 Serve’s up at the L.A. Tennis Center Krajicek
defends his title against strong-serving field; former Bruin visits
home court
By Mark Shapiro Daily Bruin Staff The lineup for the 1997
Infiniti Open is looking more and more like a big servers
convention, as four of the ATP Tour’s hardest servers are coming to
the Los Angeles Tennis Center (LATC). Leading this quartet of
cannoneers is Australia’s Mark Philippoussis, who boasts the
fastest serve in the world to go along with his No. 13 ranking. He
will be joined by Goran Ivanisevic, who is ranked third in the
world and holds the ATP record for most aces in a season. Also
toeing the line will be Sweden’s Thomas Enqvist, who is ranked
eighth in the world and defending Open champion Richard Krajicek,
who is ranked 15th. Krajicek, who hails from the Netherlands, was
also Wimbledon champion in 1996. The American contingent in the
draw will be led by Jim Courier and Todd Martin. Courier, a former
No. 1, is ranked 29th in the world, while Martin, who has battled
injury all year, is ranked 33rd. The Open will also mark the return
of former Bruin Justin Gimelstob to UCLA. Gimelstob turned pro last
year after spending two years with the UCLA men’s tennis team. In
his freshman year, he spent much of the season at No. 2 singles and
helped the Bruins reach the NCAA semifinals. As a sophomore, he led
UCLA to the team finals, held down the nation’s No. 1 singles
ranking for much of the season, and won the NCAA doubles
championship with partner Srdjan Muskatirovic. In that same
campaign, he crafted a perfect record at the LATC playing on court
one, which will serve as the Times Mirror Center Court. Since
turning pro, Gimelstob has reached quarterfinals at tournaments in
Hong Kong and Scottsdale. He also upset 1997 French Open champion
Gustavo Kuerten in the first round at this year’s Wimbledon. This
is the 71st year of the tournament which boasts past winners
Michael Chang, Pete Sampras, Boris Becker and Arthur Ashe. The
first round of play for the 32-player singles draw and 16-team
doubles lineup kicks off on July 21, with the finals to be played
on July 27th. The Infiniti Open will be the second major tennis
event at the LATC this year. In May, the facility was the home of
the NCAA team and individual championships. The tournament will
offer many types of donation and charity events. On the 23rd you
can exchange a racket for a ticket. There will be a luncheon for a
charity event to be held in September. On July 26, there will be a
benefit luncheon, with proceeds to help children with cancer. Those
who attend the luncheon will get free tickets to the semifinals.
The luncheon is for the Sunshine Kids Tennis Marathon, where
children, amateurs, professionals and celebrities will play tennis
for 48 hours. Daily Bruin File Photo Defending Open and former
Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek plays next week. caption for
infinit open: Former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek shows why
he is highly ranked by smashing a back hand over the net. Krajicek
will play in the Infiniti Open next week. Previous Daily Bruin
Story: Chang brings focus to Infiniti