Ivanisevic Stunned By Underdog

In the first match of Friday’s evening session, yet another packed crowd of more than 5,000 Colombian fans at the Pueblo Viejo Country Club witnessed the shock of the tournament and the year so far when their home favourite Mauricio Hadad toppled 2001 Wimbledon Champion Goran Ivanisevic 7-5, 6-2 in little more than an hour.

Hadad, a native of Bogota, looked at ease rallying against the big-serving Croat and ably capitalised on Ivanisevic’s struggle to come to terms with the demands of the 2600 metre altitude. Hadad, who owns a Tennis Academy nearby in Bogota, was delighted with his win. “This win feels really good,” he said. “The kids from my academy were here watching today and that helped me a lot. I didn’t want to let them down and that made me try harder. I want to play even better for them tomorrow but every part of my body aches. I’m very motivated though so I’ll give it my best shot.”

After the match, a frustrated Ivanisevic was honest about his difficulties in adapting to the demanding playing conditions in Bogota.

"I played bad yesterday, I played even worse today," he said. "He played good but I couldn’t serve today. I served seven double faults in one game which is crazy. I could not run at all so I had zero chance to beat him today.”

To view the order of play and the round-robin groups, click results.

Champions Inspire Kids In Colombia

The inaugural Seguros Bolivar Champions Tennis saw more than 2,000 local schoolchildren descend upon the Pueblo Viejo Country Club in Bogota for a special 'Kid's Day' which saw the stars of the ATP Champions Tour giving tips and advice to the budding tennis pros of the future.

The local kids, who ranged in age from four to eleven, had the unique opportunity to hit with tennis greats Pat Cash, Goran Ivanisevic, Yevgeny Kafelnikov and many others for over an hour on Thursday morning as part of a kids clinic organised by the tournament to promote tennis in the poverty-stricken areas of the city. After the coaching clinic, the youngsters filled the vast stadium court at the Pueblo Viejo Country Club and spent the afternoon noisily cheering on the champions in the first two matches of the afternoon session.