McEnroe vs Wilander In Legends Final; Moya Relishes Debut

© AFP/Getty ImagesSweden's Mats Wilander advances to his first final at the Royal Albert Hall.

John McEnroe will meet Mats Wilander in the final of the Statoil Masters Tennis Legends tournament after they both emerged through the group stages with 100 per cent records.

For Wilander, it will be a first final at the Royal Albert Hall, and he earned it with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Henri Leconte. McEnroe dismissed another Frenchman Guy Forget, who was a late replacement for the injured Ivan Lendl. The American triumphed 6-2, 6-4, finishing the match with a stunning overhead smash from near the backboards.

“It’s always fun to play against John McEnroe,” said Wilander. “We actually played 15 times on the regular tour and he is up by one! We’ve played a lot on the ATP Champions Tour though and he has always had my number - I’ve only beaten him once in maybe 15 tries! But two sets on a slower court like this will be fun. I know he’s going to be fired up - he calls this the ‘Wimbledon of the Champions Tour’, which I have to agree with him, so that’s going to be a treat.”

McEnroe is relishing the prospect of having Wilander as his in the final opponent.

“It’s great to see Mats back playing tennis the way he can. He’s worked really hard, and he’s someone I have to be really careful against. He never beats himself so I’ll have to keep my concentration. If I do, I think I’ll be ok.”

Elsewhere, Carlos Moya made his first ever appearance at the Statoil Masters Tennis and although he went down in three sets to Mark Philippoussis, the Spaniard could not believe his luck at being able to play tennis inside the Royal Albert Hall.

“It’s such a great venue,” said Moya. “You feel the history here. I was told how beautiful it was but you have to see it to feel it. The feeling that you get playing on this court is different to anything else I have ever had. It’s probably the most beautiful court that I’ve ever played on.”

Tickets to the Statoil Masters Tennis in the Royal Albert Hall are now available, with prices from £17.50 per person.  

Visit ATP Champions Tour Website | Buy Tickets