Sunday, August 05, 2001
Bahrami a crowd pleaser
Antics entertain in losing effort
By Dave Schutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Tennis Masters Series Cincinnati tournament chairman Paul Flory must find a way to convince Mansour Bahrami to return in 2002. Although it was only the third-place match, Bahrami put on a show that drew three standing ovations from the 6,000 fans on hand for the Seniors event.
In a pro-set tiebreaker match that lasted an hour and 15 minutes, Gene Mayer and Catarina Lindqvist defeated Ann Grossman and Bahrami 9-7 at the ATP Tennis Center.
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AT A GLANCE
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• Qualifier: 10 a.m. today. Adult tickets $10, kids 14 and under admitted free.
• Main draw: Tennis Masters Series Cincinnati tournament begins play Monday. Ticket prices range from $18 to $40, depending on the session (tickets remain for all sessions). Call (513) 651-0303 or (513) 562-4949 for info or tickets.
• Check the bracket
• More Masters facts
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“He's a character and fun to play with,” said Grossman, a Columbusnative.
Bahrami's bag is full of trick shots, including returning the ball high and jumping over the net into the opponents' end.
A regular on the Senior Tour, Bahrami's doubles partner is Mayer.
“We reached the finals of the French and did well at Wimbledon,” Mayer said. “Believe it or not, Mansour clowns around in every match, but mostly in doubles.”
Mayer and Bahrami plan to play doubles in all the Grand Slam events next year, including the U.S. Open in September.
“We could be playing 45-and-over but we prefer 35-and-under,” Mayer said.
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