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Men and women to go head to head in tennis tourney

Imagine Roger Federer playing one of the Williams sisters. Or Rafael Nadal facing Maria Sharapova.

Tennis promoter Steve Bellamy envisions such matchups one day, although he’ll go with less dynamic pairings for now. On Aug. 3, he’ll stage what’s believed to be the first tournament involving world-ranked men and women going head to head.

The one-day competition in suburban Pacific Palisades comes with several big rules changes: No overhand serve, second serves or lets.

All serving is drop-hit and struck from below the waist.

“About 40 percent of the points in tennis are won on the serve or the return,” said Bellamy, founder of The Tennis Channel and chief executive of The Ski Channel.

SERVE ADVANTAGE

“Basically, half the points are over before they even start. Men dominate women in tennis mainly because of the serve, so this concept neutralizes that advantage,” he said.

Bellamy said that American players Vince Spadea, Justin Gimelstob, Derrick Rostagno and Alexandra Stevenson are among those expected to play.

Spadea is ranked No. 70 and Stevenson No. 204; Rostagno and Gimelstob are no longer on the tour.

The “Battle of the Sexes” approach recalls the 1973 showdown between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. King, at the top of her game, won easily against her long retired opponent.

“The only reason I would do this is to win,” said Stevenson, who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals as an 18-year-old unknown in 1999.

“I think it will be fun. I’ve done this kind of thing before, but it hasn’t been in a tournament format,” she said.

“Women can compete and beat men serving underhand off the ground. I think fans like watching men and women play. Hopefully this will be something new and fun and interesting,” Stevenson said.

NO BIG DEAL

Rostagno, ranked as high as 13th in the early 1990s and now a 42-year-old lawyer, said losing to a woman wouldn’t be a big deal.

“Depending upon the draw, I have a good chance to lose to whoever I confront,” he said. “The women nowadays, the way they hit the groundies, is exceptional. This could make for some very interesting matchups.”

Bellamy said the event will have a 32-player draw, and should be completed in about three hours.

He said a committee will examine the qualifications of every entrant and choose the top 28. The other four will come from a qualifier earlier in the day that’s open to the public.

The format will be similar to table tennis, with the winner being the first to reach 21 points and each player serving five points before service alternates. The winner will earn about US$10,000.
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