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Sampras leads Americans at Wimbledon

Seven-time winner nearly loses, but Jennifer Capriati, Serena Williams and Andy Roddick excel.

Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times,
published June 28, 2001

WIMBLEDON, England -- The future of American tennis arrived on Centre Court at Wimbledon, and the reign of Pete Sampras nearly became part of the past.

With a charismatic mix of youthful cool and zeal, 18-year-old Andy Roddick looked at home on the most hallowed ground, beating Thomas Johansson in the second round Wednesday 7-6 (7-1), 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3).

Sampras, playing on Court 1 a few hours later, nearly fell victim to one of the greatest upsets in Grand Slam history before beating Barry Cowan 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 4-6, 6-3.

Cowan, 26, was an unlikely candidate to endanger Sampras' bid for a record eighth Wimbledon title. He has a 4-18 career record, a ranking of 265th and no tournament titles, compared with 63 for Sampras.

But Cowan's big serve was at its best, and he volleyed brilliantly for much of the match.

"It doesn't matter what he's ranked," Sampras said. "On grass, with his serve, the way he was playing, you can't think, 'This is going to be the upset of the century,' which it could have been."

Though Sampras ultimately rose to the occasion, Roddick did the same with much less anguish. Less than a year into his career, it's apparent the teenager is comfortable on the big stage, and against the 11th-seeded Johansson, he embraced the biggest stage in tennis.

Roddick has been touted as the next American Grand Slam champion, and with a booming serve well suited for grass, there's no telling how far he can go during the fortnight.

Playing in his third major tournament, he likely will be back on Centre Court for a third-round match Friday against another big server, three-time Wimbledon runner-up Goran Ivanisevic.

Because of Wednesday's 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Carlos Moya, Ivanisevic has reached the third round at a Grand Slam event for the first time since the 1999 U.S. Open.

U.S. Open champion Marat Safin also won. Women advancing included Jennifer Capriati and Serena Williams.

With the Williams sisters on course for a showdown in the final, their father, Richard, renewed his criticism of Britain's developmental system. One British woman reached the second round, and she lost Wednesday.

"If I can produce two kids, this country should be able to produce at least one," Williams said.

Capriati continued her bid for a Grand Slam sweep by beating Francesca Schiavone 6-3, 6-1. With the victory, Capriati improved to 16-0 this year in major tournaments.

But as Roddick's popularity soars, he is beginning to challenge even Capriati for attention.

"Yeah, I've been getting asked a lot about Roddick," she said. "It's great. I mean, he's got a lot of pizzazz."

With his hat brim pulled low over his eyes, Roddick outdueled Johansson, who had won his past 11 matches, all on grass. By the final set, Johansson was tossing his racket in frustration.

Judging by the cheers, fans seemed to enjoy their introduction to the newest star in the men's game. Among those impressed was Australian Olympic hero Cathy Freeman, who watched from the royal box.

"The American guy, Roddick, had a bit of attitude right from the start," she said. "He's got something else."

She may be right. Many of the game's greatest won their Centre Court debut, including Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Stefan Edberg and, in 1992, Sampras.

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