Taipei, Dec. 19 (CNA) Former grand slam tournament winners Martina Hingis and Goran Ivanisevic will join tennis legends Andre Agassi and his wife Steffi Graf for exhibition matches in Taipei next May.
Graf's appearance had previously been announced by promoter Integration Sports not long after it held a successful exhibition between Agassi and Marat Safin in early January.
In filling out the lineup for the exhibition next May, Integration Sports CEO Jeff Hsu was happy to get the mercurial Ivanisevic, known for an extremely powerful serve and occasional temper tantrums, and Hingis, one of the women's game's best strategists.
"I think it was important to bring new faces to Taiwan. Graf and Hingis both have a lot of fans here, and I'm sure they'll have a lot of appeal," Hsu said Monday.
The exhibition matches, slated for Taipei Arena on May 26, will consist of two singles matches -- Agassi vs. Ivanisevic and Graf vs. Hingis -- and a mixed doubles.
The two singles matches will bring back memories of Agassi's first Grand Slam title, when he beat Ivanisevic in five sets in the 1992 Wimbledon final, and Graf's last major title, a three-set win over Hingis at the 1999 French Open after the Swiss Miss imploded over a line call and blew a 6-4, 2-0 lead.
The four tennis legends won a total of 36 Grand Slam singles titles between them during their careers. Graf had 22, Agassi eight, Hingis five and Ivanisevic one, when he improbably won Wimbledon as a wild card in 2001.
Ticket prices for the event will range between NT$800 and NT$10,000 (for seats in the first two rows around the court), similar to last year's exhibition between Agassi and Safin.
focustaiwan.tw
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