|
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
On the verge of history Sampras one win away from Grand Slam record
Posted: Saturday July 08, 2000 02:01 AM
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Pete Sampras is one win from Grand Slam history. He sailed into the Wimbledon final with a straight-sets victory Friday over qualifier Vladimir Voltchkov, keeping him on course for his seventh title at the All England Club and record-breaking 13th Grand Slam championship. "I'd love to break it here," Sampras said. "I'm looking at it as a great moment for tennis, a great moment for me." The top-seeded Sampras will face a tough test Sunday from serve-and-volley master Patrick Rafter, who overcame Andre Agassi 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to become the first Australian to reach the Wimbledon final in 13 years. "You don't want to play Pete at any time, but especially not at Wimbledon," Rafter said. "But if I can play like I did against Andre today, I think I have a chance." While hobbling slightly from the tendinitis above his left ankle, Sampras had a relatively easy time in dispatching the 247th-ranked Voltchkov 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-4 in 1 hour, 39 minutes. Sampras extended his Wimbledon winning streak to 27 matches and ran his record to 52-1 over seven years. He can equal William Renshaw's record of seven Wimbledon singles titles and surpass Roy Emerson for sole possession of the career mark of Grand Slam wins with 13. "My legacy is really the last thing on my mind on Sunday," Sampras said. "When you're going through the battle, you can't think of your place in history. It's the match at hand."
Sampras has reached the final without facing a single seeded player. The last time any player has done that was in 1981, when John McEnroe beat Bjorn Borg in the final. Voltchkov, a 22-year-old from Belarus who hadn't played in a single senior-level tournament this year, put up a credible performance against Sampras -- making several diving volleys -- but was clearly in a different league. "I tried to fight, but he was just too good," Voltchkov said. "I mean, I didn't have one chance on his serve." Voltchkov was still close, down 5-4 in the tiebreak, when he missed a simple forehand volley. Stunned and puzzled by what he had just done, Voltchkov dropped his racket, crouched at the net and ran a hand through his hair. "In practice, you probably hit a hundred out of a hundred like that," he said. "You miss one there. I guess it's the nerves." Sampras won the tiebreak on the next point, and the match was essentially over. A trainer came out at 5-2 in the second set to spray a numbing agent on Sampras' ankle. While he appeared to favor the ankle on some points, on others Sampras ran full speed to smack winners.
"It's definitely been a struggle," Sampras said. "There's nothing I can do about it. ...You just have to play through it. As long as I have my right arm, on grass I'm still a threat." Sampras said he will try to practice Saturday. He holds a 9-4 edge in head-to-head meetings with Rafter. But the Australian has won three out of the last four. They have never played on grass. Sampras and Rafter have feuded in the past. But both men said they have smoothed over their differences. "We get along fine," Rafter said. "It's all but behind us now." Said Sampras: "It's fine. We respect each other as people and as competitors. It's over and done with."
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
