|
|
| January 20, 2002 | Sunday | Ziqa’ad 5, 1422 |
Sampras outlasts battling Escude
MELBOURNE, Jan 19: Pete Sampras edged a tense and dramatic five-set match against Nicolas Escude in the early hours of Sunday morning to reach the Australian Open fourth round.
The eighth-seeded American’s 7-6 5-7 6-4 6-7 6-3 victory set up an explosive clash with ninth seed Marat Safin for a place in the quarter-finals.
Women’s top seed Jennifer Capriati was also pushed to the limit as she needed three sets to beat powerful Greek Eleni Daniilidou. The world number one and defending champion looked far from comfortable in her 6-2 3-6 6-1 win.
Fourth seed Kim Clijsters had no such problems, though, ruthlessly ending wildcard Cindy Watson’s dreams 6-1 6-2 at Melbourne Park, while the only problems Safin had were with officials.
The ninth seed landed himself in hot water when he reacted furiously to being given a code violation after a ball he struck hit a line judge during his 6-4 6-4 6-4 win over fellow Russian Mikhail Youzhny.
Sixth seed Justine Henin knocked out the last remaining Australian Nicole Pratt 6-4 6-0.
Henin faces 12th-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva on Monday for a place in the quarter-finals.
Sampras needed all his experience to get through the titanic tussle on centre court.
After blowing three match points in a fourth set tiebreak, he regrouped to win after three hours and 50 minutes of high drama.
The winner of a record 13 grand slam titles belted his 33rd ace to convert on his seventh match point as the clock hit 1:42am local time.
Escude was playing on the Rod Laver Arena centre court for the first time since leading France to a shock Davis Cup final victory over Australia last year, but just fell short of repeating the heroics of that December clash.
“It was a very good fight but he was better than me today, that’s all,” the Frenchman said after the marathon tussle.
The pair split the opening two sets and Sampras, cheered on by his Hollywood actress wife Bridgette Wilson and Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia, won the third and went a break up in the fourth.
He allowed Escude back into it and then blew three match points in the fourth set tiebreak as the Frenchman levelled and the momentum of the match swung.
But once again Sampras’s vast experience came to his rescue as he eased through the decider.
Earlier, Capriati had struggled with her serve and movement around the court against Daniilidou.
The American is suffering with a niggling hip injury and called for courtside attention from a trainer several times during the match. She had both thighs heavily strapped.
“She was a tough opponent today. I’d never played this girl before and never seen her play so it was important for me to pull through this one,” Capriati said. “I had to fight for it which is good for me.”
American 10th seed Meghann Shaughnessy was dumped out, beaten 6-2 3-6 6-3 by unseeded German Marlene Weingartner.
In-form Roger Federer cruised into the fourth round with a 7-6 7-6 6-4 win over German Rainer Schuettler.
The 11th seed has not dropped a set all tournament and is one of the favourites for the title after winning a warm-up event in Sydney last week.
Federer meets seventh seed Tommy Haas in the last 16 after the German, a 1999 Australian Open semifinalist, outlasted American Todd Martin 6-7 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-1.
Chile’s former world number one Marcelo Rios reached the fourth round for the first time in four years when he downed Spaniard Alberto Martin 6-4 6-3 7-6.
Rios plays Nicolas Lapentti next after the Ecuadorean battled back from two sets down to beat Argentine Gaston Gaudio 4-6 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-4.—Reuters
Results: (prefix number denotes seeding):
Men’s singles:
Third round: 8-Pete Sampras (U.S.) beat 30-Nicolas Escude (France) 7-6 (7-5) 5-7 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-3; Wayne Ferreira (South Africa) beat Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) 4-6 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 7-5; 7-Tommy Haas (Germany) beat Todd Martin (U.S.) 6-7 (8-10) 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-1; Albert Costa (Spain) beat 25-Andrei Pavel (Romania) 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 6-4; 9-Marat Safin (Russia) beat Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) 6-4 6-4 6-4; 23-Nicolas Lapentti (Ecuador) beat Gaston Gaudio (Argentina) 4-6 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-4; 11-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Rainer Schuettler (Germany) 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 6-4; Marcelo Rios (Chile) beat Alberto Martin (Spain) 6-4 6-3 7-6 (7-3)
Women’s singles:
Third round: 6-Justine Henin (Belgium) beat Nicole Pratt (Australia) 6-4 6-0; Janette Husarova (Slovakia) beat 24-Ai Sugiyama (Japan) 6-2 6-3 12-Elena Dementieva (Russia) beat 23-Magui Serna (Spain) 6-1 6-2; 7-Amelie Mauresmo (France) beat Tamarine Tanasugarn (Thailand) 7-6 (7-3) 6-1; 20-Rita Grande (Italy) beat 16-Iroda Tulyaganova (Uzbekistan) 6-3 5-7 6-4; 1-Jennifer Capriati (U.S.) beat Eleni Daniilidou (Greece) 6-2 3-6 6-1; Marlene Weingartner (Germany) beat 10-Meghann Shaughnessy (U.S.) 6-2 3-6 6-3; 4-Kim Clijsters (Belgium) beat Cindy Watson (Australia) 6-1 6-2—Reuters
|
|
