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 Falling stars Kafelnikov elminated; Sampras withdraws at Barcelona
Posted: Wednesday April 14, 1999 11:56 PM
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -- Pete Sampras withdrew from the Conde de Godo tournament on Wednesday because of back spasms and is expected to be sidelined a week to 10 days. The world's No. 1 player was supposed to play Vince Spadea in the second round but injured his back during doubles the previous night. "It was cold and I did not warm up properly," he said. "I felt it move on my serve. It spasmed last night and spasmed again this morning." The injury will prevent him from playing in next week's Monte Carlo Open. Sampras' withdrawal came on the same day Yevgeny Kafelnikov was beaten by Argentina's Franco Squillari 6-2, 6-4, and Carlos Moya won despite an infected blister on his right thumb. "It's worse than I thought," Moya said after beating Spanish compatriot German Puentes 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. "It really bothers my serve and affects my forehand. I'm going straight to the hospital to have it cleaned out. If it isn't better tomorrow, I don't think I can play." He added: "To play with my thumb like this is just stupid. I was really looking forward to this tournament, I'm playing at home and I really want to play, but I'll have to see tomorrow." Also, Albert Costa beat fellow Spaniard Fernando Vicente 6-4, 6-1. He advanced to the third round against Chile's Marcelo Rios, a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 winner over Romania's Andrei Pavel.
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