Ivanisevic Off To Flying Start

Goran Ivanisevic kicked of his 2009 AEGON Masters Tennis campaign in style on Thursday with a 7-6(5), 7-5 win over fellow Wimbledon Champion Pat Cash. Ivanisevic and Cash put on an enthralling display of vintage serve and volley tennis for fans inside the Royal Albert Hall, but despite a valiant effort from Cash, in the end it was the Croatian's booming serve that proved the decisive factor in the match.

“It’s good to have a win and Pat is not an easy player to play,” he said. “This is a very fast court which helps my serve and I feel like when I play good anyone could have a problem playing me.”

Ivanisevic attributes much of his good play to the atmosphere provided by the packed Royal Albert Hall crowd. “It’s my second time playing here at the Royal Albert Hall and it’s tough to play badly in this arena,” he said. “It’s such a great place with such a great atmosphere so you just can’t play bad. All the players feel lucky and honored to play in this arena. It’s a real privilege.”

Ivanisevic must now face defending champion Cedric Pioline on Friday before his final round robin match against Pat Rafter on Saturday afternoon, a replay of the famous Wimbledon final of 2001 won by Ivanisevic in five sets. “It’s going to be an interesting match against Rafter that’s for sure but first I have to beat Cedric,” he said. “Cedric is a very tough player because he can just go on the court and hit everything in sometimes. First I must concentrate on that match tomorrow and then I will think about Pat on Saturday.”

In the first match of the day, Stefan Edberg continued his sublime form in London this week, beating 2003 Wimbledon finalist Mark Philippoussis 6-4, 6-2. Edberg played masterful serve-and-volley tennis to overcome Philippoussis, a man more than ten years his junior. However, the Swede admitted after the match that the victory wasn’t as comfortable as it may have looked.

“It may have looked easy today but it was pretty tough to start with,” he said. “I think when you play a big server like Mark if you can get the first break it always helps, and I did. I played a really good game at 4-4 and from then on I played really well and I was happy with the way I was striking the ball today. It really is a thrill to be playing here. It’s one of the best arenas you can play in with a very knowledgeable crowd.”

The AEGON Masters Tennis event is a round-robin event featuring former World No.1 tennis players, Grand Slam finalists and Davis Cup winners. Each event on the ATP Champions Tour can also invite two wild card entrants of its choosing. Matches are played over the best of three sets with a Champions' Tie-Break (first to ten points) to decide the winner in a deciding set.

To view the Order of Play click on Results. For tickets, click here or call the box office on: +44 (0) 20 8233 5880.