ATP Tour

1999 IN REVIEW

Reached finals on three different surfaces and added sixth career Tour title in Basel…Played with 13 different partners during year, with Marius Barnard his most frequent partner…Jumped off to 16-11 start, highlighted by final in St. Poelten on clay in May (w/Koenig) along with SF in Copenhagen, Tokyo (w/Barnard) and Atlanta (w/E. Ferreira) and QF in Memphis (w/Flach)…Reached grasscourt final in Nottingham (w/Barnard), beating Adams-de Jager in SF, before enduring five-match losing streak…Turned it around at U.S. Open, reaching QF in first appearance with countryman Coetzee and beating Haarhuis-Palmer in 1st RD…Three weeks later, won title in Basel (w/Kitinov), with whom he’d only played once before…Title elevated him to career-high No. 40 and finished a year-end best No. 43 after having never been in Top 60 before `99…Earned a career-high $118,803 and compiled personal-best 26-24 match record.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

1987 -- Advanced doubles SF at Port Elizabeth Challenger (w/Kaplan)...1988 --- Reached his first doubles final at Johannesburg-2 Challenger (w/Talbot)...1989 -- Advanced to doubles final at Durban Challenger (w/Zinn) and best singles result wsa QF at Johannesburg-3 Challenger...1990 -- Won his first Challenger doubles title in Azores (w/Patridge) and SF at Pretoria Challenger (w/Broad)...1991 -- Captured doubles title at Cologne Challenger (w/Talbot) and reached first Tour SF in Long Island (w/Talbot)...1992 -- Advanced to first career ATP Tour final in Florence (w/Deppe) and SF in San Marino (w/Montana) and Moscow (w/Zdrazila)...Won titles at Acapulco (w/Deppe), Reggio Calabri (w/Zdrazilia) and Brest (w/Barnard) Challengers...1993 -- Won doubles titles at Porto-2 Challenger (w/De Beer) and SF at Tour stops in Manchester (w/Pereira) and Santiago (w/Fleurian)...1994 -- Captured his first ATP Tour title in Sun City (w/Barnard)...Reached finals at Lippstadt (w/Barnard) and Garmisch (w/Gollwitzer) Challengers...Advanced to Grand Slam-best QF at Wimbledon (w/Barnard)...1995 -- Captured second Tour title in Los Angeles (w/Kinnear) and advanced to final at Birmingham Challenger (w/E. Ferreira)...1996 -- Earned third Tour title in Bologna (w/van Rensburg) and captured Bermuda Challenger title (w/Apell) ...Also a finalist at Bromma Challenger (w/L. Bale)...1997 -- Reached final at Zagreb Tour stop (w/Keil) and Kosice (w/Mirnyi) and Contrexeville Challengers (w/Van Emburgh)...1998 -- Won fifth career Tour doubles title in Atlanta (w/E. Ferreira) and reached final in St. Petersburg final (w/Barnard)...Finished No. 77 in doubles. CAREER DOUBLES TITLES (6). FINALIST (5).

PERSONAL

Attended Texas A&M University from 1986-87, capturing the Southwest Conference No. 4 singles title...In his junior years, played on the South African national squad...His mother, the former Renee Schuurman, was a French Open singles and doubles champion in 1960, and Wimbledon doubles finalist from 1958-63, while also reaching singles SF along the way...His brother, Kirk, played two years at University of Texas, and sister, Derryn, played at Texas A&M...Wife, Monica; sons Courtlin and Miles...Coached by Gordon Birt, who is a South African based in London.