Tennis : Grand Champions Event Gets Cash, New Sponsor

Charlie Pasarell took a big step last year in making his tournament at Grand Champions a major event.

Besides luring Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Mats Wilander, Yannick Noah and Miloslav Mecir to Indian Wells, he also got a commitment from a more prominent corporate sponsor. The $435,000 Pilot Pen tournament of 1987 has become the $702,500 Newsweek Champions Cup in 1988.

So, what changes can be expected this time around?

“One new thing is that one of the guys is Pat Cash, who hasn’t played out here before,” Pasarell said. “He has indicated he will play. So, in terms of new players it will be Pat Cash.”

Expected to join the Wimbledon champion this year at Grand Champions Feb. 29-March 6 are Becker and Edberg. Becker defeated Edberg in straight sets for the 1987 championship. The 20-year-old Becker, who is suffering from a knee injury, won’t be playing the Australian Open. And, depending on his progress, the Newsweek event could be his first tournament of 1988.

“It’s not so much in trying to do anything different,” Pasarell said. “We’re just trying to improve the facilities. More new bathrooms, a new ticket office. Just trying to upgrade. It will pretty much be the same thing.”

Add Pasarell: The first event at Grand Champions this year--the Adidas Invitational--will run Wednesday through next Sunday.

For the singles and doubles champions in this tournament, first prize means more than a trophy and a handshake. As in previous years, Pasarell will give the winners wild-card berths in the main draw of his Grand Prix event. Last year, Pepperdine’s Andrew Sznajder received the singles spot, then lost to Tim Wilkison in first round of the main draw.

Scott Melville of USC, who won the collegiate championships at UCLA last fall, is the top-seeded player. UC Irvine’s Mark Kaplan is second and Cal State Long Beach’s Greg Failla is third.

Among the top juniors expected to compete are Pete Sampras of Palos Verdes High School, Matt Holt and Frank Salazar.

And, 41-year-old Ray Moore is coming out of retirement to play doubles with Ross Case of Newport Beach. Moore is the chairman of the Men’s International Professional Tennis Council.

It really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise--especially after his treatment at the U.S. Open--to hear that the No. 2-ranked Edberg doesn’t plan to play a full schedule of doubles this year.

“He made up his mind after the U.S. Open,” said Edberg’s agent, Tom Ross of Advantage International. “To support the doubles hasn’t always proved beneficial. If anything, it hurt him in the scheduling in singles. . . . He’s tried to work within the system. But he’s been stabbed in the back one too many times, I hate to say that.”

The final slight occurred when Edberg and Mats Wilander were put on as the first Open semifinal on a Saturday, even though Edberg had played a five-set doubles match the afternoon before, and even though the other semifinalists, Ivan Lendl and Jimmy Connors, hadn’t played since Wednesday.

The Edberg-Wilander match was also started an hour early because rain was forecast. That meant Edberg had to leave for Flushing Meadow about 8 a.m. to prepare for the semifinal. The real surprise occurred when the two rebels with a cause, Edberg and Wilander, staged a mini-protest, taking the court 15 minutes late.

“It’s really taken its toll in terms of scheduling at the (grand) slams,” Ross said. “So, the slams will be the first to go. But I don’t know whether he’s made up his mind completely to walk away from it.”

Tennis Notes

In the coaches’ preseason poll, Cal State Los Angeles is ranked 20th in the nation among National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Division II schools. . . . The men’s and women’s singles finals will be played today in the National Collegiate tournament at Shadow Mountain Resort and Racquet Club in Palm Desert. Last year’s singles champions were Patty Fendick of Stanford and Richey Reneberg of SMU. Both are competing professionally now.