Pete & Todd Martin plays tomorrow, Oct 29, 2007.

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LSU ready to host Sampras, Martin

By ]SCOTT RABALAIS
Advocate sportswriter
Published: Oct 28, 2006



When she met Pete Sampras at Wimbledon six years ago, Paula Pennington de la Bretonne started trying to figure out how she could get Sampras to Baton Rouge when there isn’t a pro tennis tournament anywhere near the city.

Finally, Sunday, a good idea meets a greater cause when Sampras takes the court at 2 p.m. in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center for an exhibition match against Todd Martin.

Billed as the Duel Under the Oaks, 100 percent of the proceeds from the event will go toward helping medical students at the LSU Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC) meet financial challenges they have incurred since hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated south Louisiana in 2005.

The event is being organized by the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation — de le Bretonne is their daughter — in conjunction with the LSU Foundation and the Tiger Athletic Foundation.

“Many of these students lost everything,” de la Bretonne said. “This fundraiser is a way of easing some of the hardships these dedicated students are enduring.”

Landing a tennis legend like Sampras was a coup for event organizers. Though now retired from regular competitive tennis, Sampras is one of the biggest names ever to play the game.

His final victory in the 2002 U.S. Open gave Sampras a record 14 career major championships. He won the U.S. Open five times — tying the record set by Jimmy Connors — starting with his first victory in 1990 that made him at 19 the youngest man ever to win the U.S. Open.

Sampras also won the U.S. Open in 1993, 1995 and 1996.

His seven Wimbledon titles (1993-95, 1997-2000) tied the record for most men’s titles set by William Renshaw. Sampras also won the Australian Open in 1994 and 1997.

It was against Martin that Sampras won that 1994 Australian Open title in the championship final. Martin also made it to the 1999 U.S. Open final, losing to Andre Agassi.

Martin and Sampras were on the same side of the net, helping the U.S. team win the 1995 Davis Cup as they won the doubles title. Martin played for the U.S. Davis Cup team every year from 1994-2002.

The Sampras-Martin match is only part of Sunday’s schedule of activities.

Beginning at 9 a.m., a free youth tennis clinic will be held at LSU’s W.T. “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium for boys and girls ages 7 to 17.

Martin, Sampras and his sister, UCLA women’s tennis coach Stella Sampras-Webster, will serve as instructors. They will be describing tennis fundamentals as they hit against members of the LSU men’s and women’s tennis teams.

Prizes will be distributed throughout the clinic.

An LSU tennis exhibition is slated for noon in the PMAC, followed by a celebrity match at 1 p.m. between TV actor Scott Foley of the show “The Unit” and Baton Rouge native and actor Wes Brown. Brown is set to star in an upcoming film with Matthew McConaughey titled “We are Marshall,” scheduled to be released in December.

Tickets for the event are $25 and $20, with $10 tickets available for students and children.

Tickets may be purchased at the LSU Athletic Ticket Office, online at www.lsusports.net or by phone at (800) 960-8587 or (225) 578-2184.

For more information visit www.dueloaks.com.

Sampras, Martin play for charity

"Duel Under the Oaks" in PMAC on Sunday
by Jay St. Pierre
Issue date: 10/27/06 Section: Sports


For most individuals, retirement consists of kicking back, relaxing and working around the house, but for retired tennis greats Pete Sampras and Todd Martin, retirement will be put on hold as the two come together Sunday for an exhibition tennis match in the PMAC.

"Duel Under the Oaks," sponsored by the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation, is being held to help raise money for LSU Health Sciences Center and its students that were impacted by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

"I just felt this was a great opportunity for me to raise money for a good cause," Sampras said. "It was a good chance to give back a little bit, and I'm really looking forward to it."

Sampras, who compiled a singles record of 762-222 and won 14 Grand Slam titles, said he felt the time had come for him to help out the people of Louisiana.

"The hurricane was such a tragic event that not only affected the people there, but everyone seeing it on TV," Sampras said. "And after seeing the misery of what happened, I think it affected everyone. Even though some time has gone by, this is my way to give back and my way of reminding people that there are still people suffering and people still trying to get through this."

Paula Pennington de la Bretonne, Pennington Foundation trustee and organizer of the event, said she attempted to get Sampras to play in Baton Rouge since the two met at Wimbledon in 2002 but was not successful until earlier this year.

"I've been trying to get Pete Sampras to come to Baton Rouge for six years now," de la Bretonne said. "And then when Hurricane Katrina hit I got a phone call in January that said he wanted to come to Baton Rouge. So we planned it out and just thought it would be great for his exhibition to be turned into a fundraiser for the LSU Health Science students in New Orleans."

De la Bretonne said she can sympathize with the people the event is helping because she saw her son struggle through the aftermath of the Katrina.


"My son Michael was a senior last year at the LSU Med School in New Orleans, and he and my daughter-in-law lived in Lakeview," de la Bretonne said. "They lost everything, and I saw what he had to go through with classes and rebuilding."

With the help of Sampras and Martin, the event has earned over $300,000 from ticket sales and sponsorship programs.

Florence Andr鬠president of the LSUHSC Foundation, said she is grateful these two tennis players were willing to take the time to help the school.

"This means a lot," Andr頳aid. "I know that sounds silly, but we are reimbursing students at all six schools for their losses. We can never help them replace everything they lost. But we have students who have lost everything, and we had students that came back to school in nothing but scrubs."

De la Bretonne said 100 percent of the proceeds from this event will be donated to the LSUHSC, something that has allowed James M. Cairo, dean of School of Allied Health Professions, to help relieve the stress of the students at this center.

"As many as 40 to 50 percent of our students lost everything so coming back was a real hardship in a sense of they not only lost their houses, but their clothes, their books and so forth," Cairo said. "So the money that we have received from this, we have given it to those students who have the greatest need, and we've done so to kind of help move things along and try and buffer some of the hardships they have gone through."

Sampras said he is looking forward to the event and said it should be a good experience.

"It's going to be a match that I think people are going to enjoy," Sampras said. "Todd and I have had some great matches in the past, and I think we will have some fun out there and show the people a good match."


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Contact Jay St. Pierre at jstpierre@lsureveille.com

LSU to Host 'Duel Under the Oaks' Tennis Exhibition Sunday
Courtesy: LSU Sports Interactive


Release: 10/26/2006:worship: :worship:








BATON ROUGE -- The Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation is sponsoring an exhibition tennis match between tennis greats Pete Sampras and Todd Martin Oct. 29 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center to help alleviate the financial challenges facing LSU Health Sciences Center students impacted by the hurricanes that ripped through Louisiana in 2005.

Billed as “Duel Under the Oaks,” the exhibition match, youth tennis clinic and celebrity tennis match are being presented in cooperation with the LSU Foundation and the Tiger Athletic Foundation. Paula Pennington de la Bretonne of the Pennington Family Foundation is organizing the match to assist the thousands of students who were victims of either Hurricane Katrina or Rita.

“One hundred percent of the proceeds derived from this event will be donated to the LSU Health Sciences Center – Student Relief Fund,” said de la Bretonne. “Many of these students lost everything and this fundraiser is a way of easing some of the hardships these dedicated students are enduring.”

LSUHSC programs include: medical, dental, nursing, public health, allied health professions and graduate studies.

“The LSU Health Sciences Center students, faculty and staff are very grateful for the efforts of the organizations and individuals who have come together to coordinate this event,” said Florence Andre’, President of the LSU Health Sciences Center Foundation. “The devastation to our programs by the hurricanes has been catastrophic, but through the support of the citizens of Louisiana and the dedication of the LSUHSC family, we are working our way back to excellence.”

The “Duel Under the Oaks” activities begin at 9 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 29 with a tennis clinic for boys and girls, ages 7 to 17, at W.T Robinson Tennis Stadium on the LSU campus.

Stella Sampras-Webster, Pete Sampras’ sister and women’s tennis coach at UCLA, will be assisting Sampras and Martin with the clinic. Sampras and Martin will show the youngsters the fundamentals as they hit with the LSU men’s and women’s tennis teams. Prizes will be given throughout the clinic.

At noon in the Maravich Assembly Center, there will be an LSU tennis team exhibition, followed by a celebrity match featuring actor Scott Foley of TV hit “The Unit” and Baton Rouge actor Wes Brown, currently co-starring with Matthew McConaughey in the movie “We are Marshall” to be released in December 2006. The Sampras/Martin exhibition follows at 2 p.m.

Pete Sampras became the youngest man to win the U.S. Open in 1990 when he was 19 years old. He has won seven Wimbledon titles, five U.S. Opens and two Australian Opens throughout his career. In 2001, Sampras won his eighth and ninth ESPY awards for Male Tennis Performer of the year and Record Breaking Performance of the Year. He finished his career defeating Andre Agassi in the 2002 U.S. Open to claim his 14th Grand Slam Title.

Todd Martin was a finalist at the 1999 U.S. Open and the 1994 Australian Open. He reached the semifinals at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Grand Slam Cup in 1994. Martin played the Davis Cup for the United States every year between 1994 and 2002. Twice his peers recognized him with the Tour Sportsmanship Award for his abiding respect for the sport and his competitors.

Sampras and Martin partnered at the Davis Cup in the United States in 1995 to win the doubles title. They competed in the 2001 Australian Open, with Martin beating Sampras in the fourth round.

Tickets are $25 and $20, with special $10 tickets available for students and children. Tickets may be purchased online at www.lsusports.net or by calling 800-960-8587 or 225-578-2184 or the LSU Athletic Ticket Office. For more information please visit www.dueloaks.com.

Todd Martin


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Pete Sampras.


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Sampras-Martin match set for today

Advocate staff report
Published: Oct 29, 2006


Fourteen-time major champion Pete Sampras and long-time U.S. Davis Cup player Todd Martin will play at 2 p.m. today in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in the Duel Under the Oaks.

The event is a charity exhibition tennis match benefiting medical students at the LSU Health Sciences Center as they try to meet financial challenges incurred in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita last year.

The event is being organized by the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation in association with the LSU Foundation and the Tiger Athletic Foundation.

A day of tennis activities on the LSU campus begins at 9 a.m. with a free youth tennis clinic at LSU’s W.T. “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium. The clinic is open to boys and girls ages 7 to 17.

An LSU tennis exhibition is slated for noon in the PMAC, followed by a celebrity match at 1 p.m. between TV actor Scott Foley of the show “The Unit” and Baton Rouge native and actor Wes Brown.

The Sampras-Martin match follows at 2.

Tickets for the event are $25 and $20, with $10 tickets available for students and children.

Tickets may be purchased at the LSU Athletic Ticket Office, online at www.lsusports.net or by phone at (800) 960-8587 or (225) 578-2184.

For more information visit www.dueloaks.com.