TORONTO, July 31: Pete Sampras joined a short-list of Grand Slam winners Tuesday, posting a tight victory over Wayne Ferreira in the pair’s 13th career ATP meeting to open with first-round success at the Canadian Masters Series.

Sampras, who heads the all-time tally of titleholders at the four majors, overcame South African Ferreira in a battle of veterans, earning a morale-boosting 7-6 (8-6), 5-7, 6-4 victory in two hours, 15 minutes of battle.

Sampras, who rained down 23 aces, stopped the rot which set when Ferreira won the second set. Serving to make it 1-all in the third, Sampras battled through eight deuces, saved four break points and emerged with the game in hand through an ace after nearly 13 minutes of struggle.

That job done, the 13th seed charged on with a break for 2-1.

Closing out the contest was an exercise in frustration with two apparent aces called shockingly out on the first two of three match points.

But Sampras, his eyes shooting daggers at chair umpire Lars Graff, steeled himself, firing over a service winner which flew off of Ferreira’s racket to clinch victory.

The American was joined in the second round by a trio of peers. Roland Garros champions Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Carlos Moya, plus 2000 US Open holder Marat Safin of Russia.

Greats going out on a steamy day at the National Tennis Centre included Richard Krajicek (Wimbledon, 1996), Gustavo Kuerten (three French Opens) and current Paris king Albert Costa of Spain.

Sampras next faces Korean Hyung-Taik Lee after improving his season mark to 18-14.

Joining his tennis hero in advancing was American Andy Roddick, a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia.

Second seed and former champion Safin credited a month away from tennis with restoring his will to play. He showed his eagerness by comfortably dominating Argentine Juan Chela 6-4, 6-3.

Tuesday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):

First round: 2-Marat Safin (Russia) beat Juan Chela (Argentina) 6-4, 6-3; 3-Tommy Haas (Germany) beat Fredric Niemeyer (Canada) 6-3, 6-3; 5-Yevgeny Kafelnikov (Russia) beat Max Mirnyi (Belarus) 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2; 8-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) beat Thomas Enqvist (Sweden) 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (4-7), 7-5; Vince Spadea (US) beat 6-Albert Costa (Spain) 6-3, 6-1; Carlos Moya (Spain) beat Julien Boutter (France) 7-6 (7-5), 6-4; Mariano Zabaleta (Argentina) beat Davide Sanguinetti (Italy) 7-6 (8-6), 6-4; Stefan Koubek (Austria) beat Francisco Gonzalez (Chile) 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3; Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) beat Richard Krajicek (Netherlands) 7-5, 6-1; Andrei Pavel (Romania) beat Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil) 7-5 — retired; 11-Sebastien Grosjean (France) beat Bohdan Ulihrach (Czech Republic) 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4; Younes El Aynaoui (Morocco) beat Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4; Nicolas Lapentti (Ecuador) beat Gaston Gaudio (Argentina) 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-2); 12-Andy Roddick (US) beat Domink Hrbaty (Slovakia) 6-2, 6-4; 14-Pete Sampras (US) beat Wayne Ferreira (South Africa) 7-6 (8-6), 5-7, 6-4; Kristian Pless (Denmark) beat Daniel Nestor (Canada) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

CAPRIATI ROLLS ON