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The Americans are coming

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Posted: Friday July 02, 1999 06:37 PM

CNNSI.com: Pete Sampras was trailing by a set when his opponent, Mark Philippoussis, retired from the match with a knee injury. Did the defending champion get saved Friday and how will this affect him later in the tournament?

Frank Deford: I don't know if he could have come back against Philippoussis. I suspect he could have, but Sampras was facing three days of tough matches, back-to-back-to-back because of the rain, without really being prepared for it. He hasn't had a good year, he hasn't been tested in this tournament, so it's been a while since he had a tough match. The real break he got was that he won't be as tired physically. Of course, the flip side may also be true. If he has a long match in final, he may not be prepared for it since he's had easy matches all the way. Plus, Sampras has a history of not being physically prepared. So he got lucky in one way, but it may come back to bite him in the long run.

CNNSI.com: Most people were expecting Andre Agassi to have a difficult time against former French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten, but he had little trouble, dispatching Kuerten in straight sets. How was Agassi able to roll through the Brazilian so easily?

Deford: What happened was people thought Agassi would prefer to play against a serve-and-volleyer, and that another baseliner would give him difficulty, but he just was better than his alter ego {Kuerten} at their game today. He played a very superior match today; he's going to be tough to beat. He's done it before here, and when he's in top form he's shown he can win.

CNNSI.com: Amid all the controversy about her paternity, Alexandra Stevenson has kept on winning, all the while facing some very good competition. Will playing in as big a stage as the Wimbledon semifinals rattle her, or do you think she can beat Lindsay Davenport Saturday?

Deford: I saw nerves in her earlier on [against Lisa Raymond], but she's been challenged. Friday against Dokic she got ahead and thought, 'Wow, I'm gonna be in the semis," and promptly lost the second set, but she regrouped well. It's hard to read a child's nerves and these are children; albeit she is a very mature child, but it's impossible to figure out how she's going to do. We've seen many men and women win championships in their teens, so it can be done. Sometimes they profit by the fact they are young and they don't think the same way as old people. So nothing that happens will surprise me. But Stevenson is amazing, she doesn't seem to be affected in any way by what's surrounding her, she's completely nonplussed. And physically, she moves exceptionally well for a big girl, and she's improved since she's been here. That could really work to to her advantage.

CNNSI.com: Is the women's tournament Steffi Graf's to lose?

Deford: Yeah, I suppose you have to say that. People forget, though, because so little people pay attention to her, that Davenport can be a dangerous player. She's the U.S. Open champion, but she hasn't proved herself on grass. Graf is certainly the prohibitive favorite -- the only question she has to answer is whether she's up to back-to-back championship runs when she, before the French, didn't think she had one in her.

CNNSI.com: What are the chances of an American showdown in the men's final?

Deford: Wimbledon couldn't have ordered a better semifinals. You've got the homeboy, Tim Henman, and the defending champ in one matchup, and Agassi and Rafter, probably the two most popular players on tour, in the other. It's an absolute dream semifinal. I can't imagine a men's semifinal that would be more attractive. Coming to the finals, I think it's 50-50 for the Americans. All these guys have legitimate chances to win. Each time they play Henman gets closer and closer to beating Sampras, which means more confidence for Henman and more doubts for Sampras. If Henman hangs in there, Sampras' not having played in a close match may come into play. But you've got to think that both Sampras and Agassi are favorites to make it to the final.