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Sampras could play at Italian Open Posted: Thursday April 17, 2003 10:34 AM
ROME (AP) -- Pete Sampras, who hasn't played in months, is slated to participate in the clay-court Italian Open in May, organizers said Thursday, adding to a sparkling men's field expected to include Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt. Sampras hasn't played since winning the U.S. Open in September for a record 14th Grand Slam singles title. He has entered a number of tournaments in the past two months, only to withdraw. Sampras is on the official entry list of the Italian Open, but he could still pull out of the Italian Open at the last minute without suffering sanctions, organizers said. The Italian Open is one of the few clay court events Sampras has won, taking the title in 1994. In the women's field, the Williams sisters will top the billing, along with Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne. In last year's event, Serena Williams won the event last year, beating Henin 7-6 (6), 6-4. Agassi tooks the men's title, handily topping Tommy Haas 6-3, 6-3, 6-0. The 60th Italian Open runs May 3-18 at Rome's Foro Italico, with US$2.2 million in prize money for the men's ATP Tennis Masters Series competition, and US$1.3 million for the women's WTA Tier 1 event. Last week, the 31-year-old Sampras withdrew from the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships set to begin April 21 in Houston. Later, he requested and was granted a wild card for the Wimbledon warmup tournament at Queens Club. The tournament follows the French Open and is the year's first on grass. |
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