Bjorn Borg Ends Decade Of Pain Against John McEnroe

Bjorn Borg won his first ATP Champions Tour match against John McEnroe for nine and a half years by beating the American 6-4, 6-4 in their final round-robin match at the Chengdu Open on Saturday. Borg, who last beat McEnroe on April 15th, 2000 in Doha, Qatar, had lost his past 12 encounters with his old rival. The Swede was in sublime form in China though, serving 11 aces and breaking McEnroe’s serve once in each set. McEnroe was unable to earn even a single break point on Borg’s serve, such was the Swede’s dominance.

"It's always fun to walk on the court to play against John,” said Borg. “It's something special and it's always going to be that way.” For an insight into their rivalry, 29 years since their classic 1980 Wimbledon final, click here.

Despite Borg’s brilliance, neither man will feature on the final day, with both players having lost two of their round-robin matches. In the final, Thomas Enqvist will take on Goran Ivanisevic after both came through their group matches unbeaten. Enqvist overcame Sergi Bruguera 6-4, 4-6, 10-6 (Champions’ Tie-Break), while Ivanisevic saw off Pat Cash 6-4, 7-6(3). Enqvist is still unbeaten this year, with eleven consecutive match victories to his name. more