University Southern California Trojans
Mamiit Named to U.S. Pan Am Games
June 21, 1999 | Men's Tennis
June 18, 1999
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - Identical twins Bob and Mike Bryan of Camarillo, Calif., Cecil Mamiit of Los Angeles, Calif., and Paul Goldstein of Rockville, Md., were named to the 1999 U.S. Pan Am Games Men's Tennis Team, U.S. Coach Scott McCain announced today.
The XIII Pan Am Games will be held July 23 through August 8 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, with the tennis competition slated for July 29 through August 5. The Pan Am Games will be the third largest multi-sport event ever held in North America after the 1984 Los Angeles and 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
"We have one goal in Winnipeg and that's to win as many medals as possible for the United States," said McCain. "Bob, Mike, Cecil and Paul are four of the most talented young Americans in men's tennis and have bright futures ahead of them. They are all eager to take the courts, represent their country and win some medals."
All athlete selections are subject to final approval of the United States Olympic Committee.
Bob Bryan, 21, was a member of Stanford's 1997 and 1998 NCAA Team Tournament champion squad and won the 1998 NCAA singles title, defeating Stanford and now Pan Am Games teammate Paul Goldstein in the final. He also teamed with his twin brother Mike to win the 1998 NCAA doubles title, joining Alex O'Brien of Stanford as the only other player to win all three NCAA tournament titles. Bryan, in his first full year as a professional, is ranked No. 189 in the ATP Tour singles rankings and No. 13 in team doubles rankings with Mike Bryan. In doubles, the Bryan twins were doubles finalists at the 1999 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Orlando, Fla., and doubles champions at the 1996 US OPEN junior championships.
Mike Bryan, 21, clinched Stanford's 1998 NCAA Team Tournament title at No. 2 singles and helped Stanford to the NCAA Team Tournament title in 1997, also playing No. 2 singles. His doubles results with his twin brother also include winning the first 17 matches as a professional and registering a win over reigning Australian Open doubles champions Patrick Rafter and Jonas Bjorkman this year in Indian Wells, Calif. He is currently ranked No. 399 in the ATP Tour singles rankings.
Mamiit, 23, won the NCAA singles title in 1996 as a freshman at the University of Southern California to become the first freshman to win the event since John McEnroe in 1978. Mamiit reached his first ATP Tour singles title earlier this year in San Jose, Calif., defeating Andre Agassi and Michael Chang en route. Mamiit is ranked No. 81 in the ATP Tour singles rankings.
Goldstein, 22, is the only player in the history of the NCAA Team Tournament to play on four national championship teams, competing for Stanford in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998. He was a NCAA singles finalist in 1998, losing to Bob Bryan. As a professional, Goldstein extended three-time US OPEN singles champion Pete Sampras to four sets in the second round of the 1998 US OPEN. He also defeated 1997 US OPEN finalist and British Davis Cup star Greg Rusedski en route to the third round of the 1999 Australian Open. He is currently ranked No. 109 in the ATP Tour singles rankings.
A maximum of four men and four women may be nominated by any one country for the Pan Am Games tennis competition. From those four, a maximum of three men and three women may compete in the singles competitions, while only one men's and one women's doubles team may compete.
The Pan Am Games are held every four years the year before the Olympic Summer Games. Over 5,000 athletes from 42 Western Hemisphere nations will compete in 41 different events, including all 35 summer Olympic sports. Players who have represented the United States in the past include Arthur Ashe, Pam Shriver, Chanda Rubin, Patrick McEnroe, Luke Jensen, Althea Gibson and Darlene Hard.
Founded in 1881, the United States Tennis Association is a not-for-profit volunteer organization with more than 530,000 individual members and more than 6,000 organizational members. As the national governing body for the sport of tennis in America, the USTA uses its $154 million annual budget to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grassroots to the professional levels. The USTA presents the US OPEN and sponsors teams for Davis Cup, Fed Cup, the Pan American and Olympic Games. The USTA's website is www.usta.com.
