HALLE, June 13: Pete Sampras is on his way home early yet again, this time from the ATP Halle event after losing to German Nicolas Kiefer 6-3, 6-4 in the second round Thursday.

Hot on the heels of his poor first round French Open loss Sampras’ slump in form shows no signs of ending as the American is now without a win since his seventh Wimbledon title in 2000.

The 24-year-old Kiefer, a winner of this event in 1999, notched up his first victory over Sampras, whom he dominated outright here to post only his sixth success out of 23 matches this season.

Kiefer has earned the right to play his fellow countryman Alexander Popp in the quarter-finals, Popp booking his place in the last eight with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Austria’s Stefan Koubek.

In other matches Russian Mikail Youzhny beat Romania’s Andrei Pavel 6-4, 6-0 with Swiss Roger Federer, the number two seed, seeing off German David Prinosil 6-2, 6-4.

Results (second round): Kenneth Carlsen (Den) bt Michel Kratochvil (Swi) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4; Roger Federer (Swi x2) bt David Prinosil (Ger) 6-2, 6-4; Mikail Youzhny (Rus) bt Andrei Pavel (Rom) 6-4, 6-0; Nicolas Kiefer (Ger) bt Pete Sampras (USA x4) 6-3, 6-4; Alexander Popp (Ger) bt Stefan Koubek (Aut) 6-4, 6-2.—AFP