The Caribbean Cup Series, along with the Anguilla Tennis Academy, Anguilla Tourist Board, Anguilla Social Security Board, Cuisinart Hotel and the Department of Sports is proud to host an exciting exhibition at the Anguilla Tennis Academy for eager spectators on Thursday, November 8th at 4:30pm, featuring former world No. 8 Mark Philipoussis, facing off against the No. 1 ranked player from the Caribbean, Darian King.
Philippoussis’s decorated career featured 11 singles titles on the ATP World Tour and final appearances at both Wimbledon and the US Open. His biggest career title was captured at the BNP Paribas Open in 1999 over French Open winner Carlos Moya.
Career highlights also include defeating Grand Slam winners and many former world No. 1’s: Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Gustavo Kuerten, Sergi Bruguera, Lleyton Hewitt, Carlos Moya, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Michael Chang and Richard Krajicek. Philippoussis was also a staple on the Australian Davis Cup team.
Philippoussis’s opponent on Thursday will be rising 26-year-old Darian King from Barbados. King, who reached a career high of No. 106 on the ATP World Tour (2017.05.08), made the finals of of the Oracle Challenger in Indian Wells, California earlier this year, defeating top 100 players Taylor Fritz, Marius Copil and Jeremy Chardy along the way. King also qualified for the Delray Beach Open in Florida this past February.
The 26-year-old enjoyed a very fruitful 2017 on the circuit, highlighted by qualifying for the US Open, Miami Open, BNP Paribas Open and the Memphis Open. King has continued to be an integral part of the Davis Cup team in Barbados, where he has played 26 ties. He holds a 28/9 win/loss record in singles and an 11/10 record in doubles.
The Caribbean Cup Tennis Series is the brain child of Karl Hale the Rogers Cup ATP tournament director, who was born in Jamaica. The series is to promote youth development on the island via inviting the players up to the Rogers Cup, clinics on the island with ATP pros and a scholarship program to assist players getting US tennis Scholarships.
Over $1,000,000 has been spent upgrading the various facilities hosting the Caribbean Cup Tennis Series. A highlight for the children during the week of our events is a clinic with some ATP and WTA stars that have included Serena Williams, Jim Courier, Mark Philippoussis, Philipp Kohlshreiber, Nicholas Monroe, Daniel Nestor and many more.
Karl Hale noted, “Charity is also a big component of our series. As a result, we have built schools in Jamaica, helped hurricane relief in Dominica, renovated a playground in Anguilla and supported Special Olympics in Cayman Islands. We look forward to continuing the growth of the series and developing the youth in the Caribbean.”
Founder and President of the Anguilla Tennis Academy, Mr. Mitchelle Lake commented,” Being able to feature Mark Philippoussis and Darian King at the Anguilla Tennis Academy is monumental not only for the ATA, but also Anguilla. I trust that the Anguillan community will show up in great numbers to support this special event. Many thanks to Karl Hale and our local partners for making this historic event possible.”
– Press Release
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
