Mark Knowles Official | Knowlzee | Bahamian Hero |

Fourth seeds Mark and Xavier capped off their run in San Jose by finishing in the winner’s circle, defeating Kevin Anderson and Frank Moser 6-4, 1-6, 10-5 to win the SAP Open, their second team title.

After taking a one-set lead, Knowlzee and X-Man fell behind early in the second set, and their big-serving opponents closed out the set with a double break to send the championship to a deciding match tie-break. From there, the Bahamian and the Belgian opened a 5-1 lead, and never looked back to win the trophy in one hour and 16 minutes. “We played a very good first set and our opponents really raised their level in the second set,” Mark said afterwards.

“They both serve big so we knew that we had to try to pick a few returns in the 10-point breaker and we were able to hit some great returns early that put us ahead. With that format, it is more about which points you win as opposed to how many points you win.”

The win improved Mark’s record in ATP World Tour finals to a 55-44 mark. He has now won at least one title in 13 consecutive seasons, and 19 of 20 overall dating back to his triumph with best friend Jim Courier at the Rogers Cup in 1993. “I am very excited and proud to have won another title in another year and at the tender age of 40,” said Knowlzee.

“I have been fortunate to have a great career and stay relatively healthy. As more of my focus has shifted to being with my wife and kids, I still enjoy competing at the highest level and trying to win tournaments!”

Sunday’s victory also saw Mark end an 11-year title gap in San Jose. He became the first player aged 40 and over to win the San Jose title since John McEnroe, 47, lifted the crown in 2006. “It is a wonderful tournament in San Jose. They do a great job and the fans really come out to support doubles,” reflected Mark. “I have always played well here. I even have good memories from losing a tough three setter in singles to Andre Agassi one year. All those good memories help you as a player.”

Mark will now head to the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis, joining forces with Anderson. The two drew top seeds and defending champions Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor in the first round.

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February 18th, 2012

Mark and Xavier reached their second final together, defeating Gilles Muller and Olivier Rochus 7-6(4), 6-2 in the SAP Open semifinals in San Jose.

Though they relinquished a break advantage in the first set, Knowlzee and X-man capitalized on an early mini-break to take the first set tie-break. The two stepped up on serve in the second set, winning 13 of their 14 first service points to claim the win in one hour and 20 minutes. The fourth seeds will look to add to their 2011 Los Angeles triumph, taking on Kevin Anderson and Frank Moser in Sunday’s title match.

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February 16th, 2012

Knowlzee returned to the San Jose semi-finals for the second year in a row, partnering Xavier Malisse to a routine 6-3, 6-2 victory over James Cerretani and Matt Ebden in the SAP Open quarterfinals. Mark and X-Man saved all five break points they faced to advance in 55 minutes.

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February 15th, 2012

Mark and Xavier Malisse began their San Jose campaign with a three-set win over Mikhail Elgin and Denis Istomin. Seeded fourth, the two won the first-round encounter 7-6(2), 1-6, 10-7 to advance to the quarterfinals.

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February 11th, 2012

Chris Eaton and Dominic Inglot ended Knowlzee’s run with Robert Kendrick at the Dallas Challenger, winning their semifinal match 4-6, 7-6(5), 10-8.

Mark will play his first ATP World Tour event of the season, teaming up with Xavier Malisse at the SAP Open in San Jose.

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February 9th, 2012

Mark and Robert Kendrick saved a match point to knock out top seeds Carsten Ball and Adil Shamasdin 4-6, 7-5, 11-9 in the Dallas Challenger quarterfinals.

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February 6th, 2012

Knowlzee began his 2012 season on Monday at the Dallas Challenger, teaming up with Robert Kendrick to defeat Sam Querrey and Chris Wettengel 7-5, 6-3. Mark and Robert won 93 percent of their first serve points in the one hour and two minute victory.

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December 8th, 2011

Former US Open men's champion and world No. 14 Andy Roddick headlined a field of tennis stars at the 11th annual Mark Knowles Celebrity Tennis Invitational that raised $150,000 for local charities this past weekend at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island. The event, which entertained a record spectator crowd, has now eclipsed $800,000 in total donations.

Click here to read more and to see event photos , courtesy of Mark Da Cunha.

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November 9th, 2011

Mark and Xavier fell in their first-round match at the BNP Paribas Masters in Bercy, France. Frenchmen Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut defeated the two 6-3, 6-3.

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October 28th, 2011

Mark participated in the World TeamTennis Smash Hits charity event, co-hosted by Sir Elton John and Billie Jean King. On Team Elton, Knowlzee played doubles with Andy Roddick, where they lost to Jan-Michael Gambill and John McEnroe 5-2. However, Team Elton went on to win the exhibition 19-18, with Roddick closing Gambill out in a Supertiebreaker. The event raised over $500,000 for various AIDS charities.

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October 18th, 2011

Mark and his charity event are teaming up with the Atlantis Resort for a great vacation package. Find out more details here !

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October 10th, 2011

Marks hopes of adding to his trophy case were quickly halted in China, as he lost in the first round of both his tournaments. He and Jurgen Melzer fell to Marin Cilic and Ivan Ljubicic in Beijing, and partnering Lukasz Kubot in Shanghai, the two went down to Marcel Granollers and Viktor Troicki in a close three-set encounter.

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September 21st, 2011

After being invited by Andy Roddick to attend the American's charity event in Austin, Texas, Mark proved he was worth the invite, as Knowlzee hit a hole in one during a golf exhibition. Read the full story here .

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September 4th, 2011

Mark celebrated his 40th birthday at the US Open, but was unable to claim a birthday win, bowing out in the men's doubles and mixed doubles events. He'll take a month off before heading to China for the Asian-hard-court swing.

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September 2nd, 2011

Mark and Xavier reached the third round of the US Open with a straight sets victory over Martin Emmrich and Andres Siljestrom, defeating the pair 6-3, 6-3. The two will face Italians Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini next.

In mixed doubles, Mark and partner Daniela Hantuchova beat wild cards Christina Fusano and David Martin 6-2, 7-5 in the opening round match.

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September 1st, 2011

Knowlzee and X-Man began their US Open campaign with a win, but required three sets after losing a second set tie-break. They advanced by topping the wild card pairing of Jack Sock and Jackson Withrow 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-1.

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August 29th, 2011

Mark and Xavier are seeded 15th at the US Open and have drawn American wild cards Jack Sock and Jackson Withrow. They are in the top quarter of the draw with defending champions Bob and Mike Bryan.

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August 24th, 2011

Teaming up with former partner Mahesh Bhupathi, Mark lost his opening round match at the Winston-Salem Open to Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram. The Israeli tandem won 6-4, 6-3.

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August 15th, 2011

Mark and Xavier fell in their first-round match at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. Scott Lipsky and Bruno Soares defeated the two 6-3, 7-5.

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August 8th, 2011

Knowlzee and first-time partner Philipp Petzschner held match point against singles No. 1 Novak DJokovic and Janko Tipsarevic, but the Serbians fought it off, defeating the two 5-7, 6-3, 12-10 in the first round of the Rogers Cup.

Mark's next event is the Western & Southern Open, a tournament he has won three times. He'll rejoin Xavier Malisse in Cincinnati.

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August 7th, 2011

Knowlzee is teaming up with 2010 Wimbledon doubles champion Philipp Petzschner at the Rogers Cup in Montreal. They've drawn World No. 1 singles star Novak Djokovic and Janko Tipsarevic in the first round.

Mark has won this event twice, most recently in 2009 with Mahesh Bhupathi when it was last staged in Montreal. The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event was the first tournament Knowlzee won on tour, partnering Jim Courier to a championship in 1993.

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August 5th, 2011

Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau ended Mark and Xavier's five-match winning streak, defeating the two 6-4, 6-4 in the quarter-finals of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic.

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August 4th, 2011

Mark and Xavier continued their winning ways on Thursday, upending No. 4 seeds Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 7-6(1), 6-7(6), 10-3 in the first round of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic.

The win gives Knowlzee and X-Man their fifth straight victory to start their partnership after winning the title at the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles last week. It's also Marks fifth win in a row in Washington D.C., as he claimed the title in 2010 with Mardy Fish.

In the quarterfinals, the two will face Wimbledon finalists Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau.

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July 31st, 2011

Knowlzee claimed his first title of the season, partnering Xavier Malisse to a 7-6(3), 7-6(10) victory over Somdev Devvarman/Treat Conrad Huey in the final of the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles.

Devvarman and Huey started the match with a bang, breaking both Xavier and Mark to go ahead 3-0. But their lead evaporated, as Knowlzee and X-Man won five consecutive games. The No. 3 seeds held two set points on Xavier's serve in the ninth game, but didn't close it out and ultimately were forced to settle the set in a tie-break, which they took 7-3.

Mark and the Belgian began the second set with a break, but were immediately broken back. The crowd was treated to several exhilarating points and it was only appropriate that the second set would also be decided by a tie-break.

Both teams succeeded in holding serve and each held multiple set points. Finally at 10-10, Knowlzee and Xavier converted a mini-break and Knowlzee fittingly closed out the match on his serve to lock up the championship in one hour and 57 minutes. "It was nice to serve out the match. I had little flashbacks right before match point," said Knowlzee. "I served out a lot of matches on the court before while playing for UCLA. They probably weren't as meaningful as today's but it was just exciting to be back here on my former campus."

The title is Knowlzee's first at the Farmers Classic in just his second appearance, and brings the 39 year old to 54 career doubles titles. "It's a tournament I hadn't won before, so it's always great to win an event for the first time," Mark said. "It's hard to win tournaments, so it's really special to win at UCLA and I'm completely elated, and hope to win a couple more."

Mark and Xavier will shift their attention to the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, opening their quest in Washington DC with fourth-seeded Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi.

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July 30th, 2011

Knowlzee advanced to his first final of the season on Saturday, as he and Xavier Malisse gutted out a tough 4-6, 6-4, 10-7 victory over Yen-Hsun Lu and Frank Moser in the semifinals of the Farmers Classic.

Mark and his Belgian partner went down an early break in the first set, but had six chances to break back, failing to convert any of their opportunities.

Despite losing the first set, the No. 3 seeds stayed positive and remained patient. Finally, up 5-4 and holding set point, the two converted a break on their 10th opportunity to square the match at one set all.

In the match tie-break, Knowlzee and X-Man started strong, creating a 4-0 lead, but their opponents hung around, eventually getting the set back on serve twice. But Mark and Xavier never trailed and earned a mini-break on the 14th point to move ahead 8-6. After Lu/Moser held their next service point, the match was on Xavier's serve, and he delivered to clinch the victory in one hour and 28 minutes.

The win puts Knowlzee into his first final since a runner-up finish at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Paris last November with Andy Ram. Xavier is looking to win his second title of the season, after claiming the BNP Paribas Open title in March with Alexandr Dolgopolov.

A win on Sunday would give Mark his 54th career doubles title and first on his former college campus in Los Angeles. He and Xavier will play fourth-seeded Jonathan Erlich/Andy Ram or Somdev Devvarman/Treat Huey.

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July 28th, 2011

Knowlzee and Xavier Malisse crafted another impressive match at the Farmers Classic, dismissing Thomaz Bellucci and Alejandro Falla 6-3, 6-2 in one hour to advance to the semifinals. "It is really fun playing with Xavier. He is a great player and we are having fun," an enthused Knowlzee said after. "With the combination of his returns and my net play, we put a lot of pressure on our opponents serve."

Mark and Xavier, the No. 3 seeds, once again protected their service games when they needed to, saving all seven break points they faced. They were assertive on return, particularly in the second set, when they created seven break point opportunities, and converted two of those to build an insurmountable lead.

The win puts Knowlzee into his third semifinal of the season, but first since he and Michal Mertinak reached back-to-back semifinals in San Jose and Memphis. "It is nice to win a few matches and be back in the semifinals," Mark said.

"I am playing well and are gelling well as a team. The summer-hardcourt season is my favorite part of the year."

Mark will look to go one step further on Saturday with his Belgian partner, when the first-time pairing takes on Yen-Hsun Lu and Frank Moser. This is just the second time Knowlzee is playing at the Farmers Classic and the 20 year veteran is excited about the prospect of playing for a championship at his former college campus. "It would mean a great deal if I could have some success this weekend on my old school grounds," said the Bahamian.

"Due to scheduling and a few other factors, I have not been able to play this event as much as I would have liked. I love UCLA and am so excited to be playing here this week. Go Bruins!"

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July 27th, 2011

Mark and partner Xavier Malisse put together a strong first-round performance at the Farmers Classic, defeating Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins 6-1, 6-4 in 64 minutes.

Knowlzee and X-Man won 69 percent of their service points and saved all four break points against their serves.

The two advance to play Thomaz Bellucci and Alejandro Falla; the quarterfinal encounter will be the second match featured in Thursday's night session.

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July 25th, 2011

Knowlzee is playing at the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles with Xavier Malisse. The two are the No. 3 seeds and open their title quest against Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins.

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July 23rd, 2011

Mark and the Sacramento Capitals lost a heartbreaker in the World TeamTennis Western Conference Championship, falling to the St. Louis Aces 20-19. St. Louis will square off against the undefeated Washington Kastles in Sunday's title match.

There are some photos from regular season matches in the miscellaneous gallery. Click '2011' under World TeamTennis to view them.

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July 21st, 2011

The Caps defeated the Springfield Lasers 21-17 to claim the second playoff spot in the Western Conference of the World TeamTennis Pro League. Knowlzee and Dusan fell in men's doubles 5-4, but Mark partnered Vania King to a 5-3 mixed doubles win to clinch the playoff berth.

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MKCTI2010

2010 MKCTI PRESS RELEASE

Murray Headlines Field At 10th Annual Mark Knowles Celebrity Tennis Invitational

NASSAU, The Bahamas - Pending wild, wacky weather back in the United Kingdom, the 10th annual Mark Knowles Celebrity Tennis Invitational will host one of tennis' biggest stars in recent years.

World number four Andy Murray is scheduled to play in Saturday's exhibition event, but will have to defeat someone other than Rafael Nadal to get to The Bahamas - he'll be battling unfavorable weather conditions which have caused travel delays throughout the United Kingdom the past few days.

But Knowles and event organizers are optimistic that everything will work out and are thrilled to have someone of Murray's caliber play in this year's event, especially as its a banner year for such a renowned charitable cause in The Bahamas.

"We are extremely excited to have someone of Andy Murray's quality coming to our shores. This is a very special year, as it is our 10th anniversary," said Knowles.

"Andy is a player that I respect greatly and he possesses one of the best tennis minds that I have seen in the game for quite some time. He is a remarkable player and a true champion and we cannot wait for the people of the Bahamas to see him play in our beautiful country."

Murray is coming off a year where he achieved a career-high ranking of number two, becoming the first player other than Nadal or Roger Federer to hold the number two spot in nearly four years. He reached the Australian Open final and Wimbledon semifinals and earned titles at two Masters Series events, Toronto and Shanghai.

This past weekend, he went toe-to-toe with Nadal in a semifinal match at the World Tour Finals for over three hours, in perhaps the best match of the season, before going down in a sudden-death tiebreak. He's excited to be starting his off-season by participating in Knowles event for the first time.

"I'm really looking forward to playing in the exhibition out here and quite a few local charities benefit, which is one of the main reasons I'm here," stated Murray. "The event should be good fun and I'm planning on hitting with a few of the local juniors."

The event will also host some familiar faces, including Anna-Lena Groenefeld, who partnered Mark to a win in mixed doubles at Wimbledon in 2009. Groenefeld played in the event last year and is looking forward to partaking again.

"I am so happy to be returning to the Bahamas," Groenefeld said. It is a fun event and I enjoyed my time in the Bahamas so much last year that I couldn't wait to come back. It is so cold in Germany right now as well."

Like Groenefeld, Murray is delighted to change climates this weekend. "It's also fair to say its a lot warmer than the UK at the moment,". said Murray. "It's worked out a pretty good time to escape to the sunny Bahamas!"

Aware that Knowles was one of the first players on Tour to start a charity event, Murray understands how much effort Knowles and his family have put into making this an annual cause.

"I know he's put a huge amount of work into it over the years, so I'm just pleased that I can help out," said Murray.

Also featured in this year's lineup is Don Johnson, a former #1 doubles standout and Wimbledon champion in both men's and mixed doubles. World Tour Finals doubles qualifier Oliver Marach is making his first appearance and will be a worthy opponent in the pro-am competition.

Past Wimbledon semifinalist Xavier Malisse, 2008 event participant Sabine Lisicki and a crop of experienced American players, including Bobby Reynolds, Amer Delic, Jesse Levine and Bethanie Mattek-Sands, are among the other professionals playing in the event.

Contact Information:

Vicky Knowles Andrews, Event Director

Phone: (242) 357-9679; Email: vickymkcti_gmail.com

For usage of this release, please contact Matt Fitzgerald at webmaster_knowlzee.com

To find out more about our participating players, please visit their official websites below:

Amer Delic: www.amerdelic.com

Anna-Lena Groenefeld: www.annalenagroenefeld.com

Sabine Lisicki: www.sabinelisicki.com

Oliver Marach: www.olivermarach.com

Bethanie-Mattek Sands: www.bmattek.com

Andy Murray: www.andymurray.com

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