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Sampras guts out third-round win

Four-time champion outlasts Greg Rusedski in 5 sets on another rainy day at U.S. Open.

©Associated Press
September 3, 2002

NEW YORK -- Pete Sampras unfurled a backhand return winner down the line and let out a yell: "Aaaahhhhh!" The fans responded, applauding and chanting support.

It was tough to tell who was more pleased to see Sampras hit that type of shot again.

Playing in the tournament that's brought out his best in the past two difficult years, Sampras powered into the fourth round by beating Greg Rusedski 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 6-4 Monday night at a U.S. Open disrupted heavily by rain.

"I hung in there. The crowd was great. It got me going at the end," said Sampras, who had 81 winners and broke 1997 Open runner-up Rusedski's serve in the final game. "It made it a little sweeter with the win. As you get older, those are moments you cherish a little more."

Because rain wiped out all but less than an hour Sunday, and then delayed the start of Monday's action more than seven hours, organizers scrambled to fit in as many matches as possible. After being cooped up all day, stars paraded out one after another, with Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt, Andy Roddick, Jennifer Capriati and Lindsay Davenport among the winners.

Not since 1988, his first season as a pro, had Sampras failed to make it at least to the fourth round at the U.S. Open. He has won the title four times and been the runner-up three others, including in 2000 and 2001.

But the current edition of Sampras isn't the one who captured a record 13 Grand Slam titles. He came into the Open with a 20-17 match record this year and has not won a tournament since Wimbledon in 2000.

"He's a step and a half slow coming into the net. He's just not the same player," Rusedski said. "I lost the match. He didn't win the match tonight. He's not playing that great. I'll be surprised if he wins his next match, to be honest with you."

Sampras, seeded just 17th, plays No. 3 Tommy Haas for a quarterfinal berth.

Defending champion Hewitt and two-time Open winner Agassi are in the final eight. Hewitt eliminated No. 14 Jiri Novak 6-4, 6-2, 7-5, and Agassi beat Jan-Michael Gambill 6-2, 6-3, 6-3.

Agassi has not lost a set at the tournament.

Davenport and Capriati won in straight sets to move into the quarterfinals, where Capriati meets 10th-seeded Amelie Mauresmo, who beat No. 7 Kim Clijsters 4-6, 6-3 7-5. Mauresmo beat Capriati in straight sets at Wimbledon and in a hard-court Open tuneup.

Playing her fifth tournament since knee surgery, Davenport beat 13th-seeded Silvia Farina Elia 6-3, 6-1. Third-seeded Capriati overcame more serving problems -- she has 17 double faults in her past two matches -- to eliminate Amy Frazier 6-1, 6-3.

"It was hard for me to get going. I really didn't have a lot of time to" prepare, Davenport said. "I'm so relieved it's over with, but I don't remember going out there too many times with no warmup, not a lot of notice."

No. 11 Daniela Hantuchova got past No. 8 Justine Henin 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4) in a match stopped Sunday in the second set after Hantuchova hurt her ankle and right thumb in a tumble on a rain-slicked court. She meets top-seeded Serena Williams for a semifinal spot.

"The bad news is: We're behind in matches, doing the best to make them up," tournament referee Brian Earley said. "We're certainly hopeful to get where we need to be. We know it's a hardship."

Roddick, the No. 11 seed, beat No. 18 Alex Corretja 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (8-6).

The match ended with a 41-stroke point decided by Roddick's forehand winner. Roddick's fourth-round opponent is Juan Ignacio Chela, who defeated No. 5 Tim Henman 6-3, 6-3, 6-2.

No. 7 Juan Carlos Ferrero was beaten by Fernando Gonzalez, also in three sets, and No. 13 Roger Federer lost.

Three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten was placed on Court 10, although not for long: His opponent, Nicolas Massu, quit while trailing 6-1, 5-4, citing right hamstring and groin injuries.

Kuerten's fourth-round opponent is No. 24 Sjeng Schalken. Arnaud Clement also won to reach the round of 16 in the bottom half of the men's draw.

Haas finished his third-round defeat of Thomas Enqvist 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a match halted Sunday after a set.

Sampras-Rusedski was interrupted Sunday, with the American trailing 5-4 but about to serve.

Sampras made the types of mistakes he has been making for a while, sometimes following errant shots by rubbing his forehead or shuffling his feet along the baseline.

But he got help from Rusedski, who often contributed to his own undoing. Most damaging: Rusedski double-faulted twice in the first-set tiebreaker.

Still, both players served brilliantly for stretches, each topping 130 mph. Sampras finished with 17 aces. Rusedski had 19, but they were eroded in part by 10 double faults.

Sampras lost five points on his serve in the third set and hit one serve so hard it got lodged in the net's webbing. But he had problems handling the speed and movement that serves generate off the racket of Rusedski, who owns the fastest serve in ATP Tour history at 149 mph.

Sampras bristled a few times at Rusedski's gamesmanship, complaining at least once to the chair umpire.

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