NEW YORK, Sept 9: Pete Sampras wrote a fairy-tale finish to the worst slump of his fabled career, capturing the US Open here on Sunday to end a 26-month win drought in the finest hour of his legendary tennis reign.

Sampras defeated arch-rival Andre Agassi 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to take a record 14th Grand Slam singles crown, a title that means more than any other to Sampras because of the confidence needed to disprove critics and make the dream a reality.

“This one might take the cake,” Sampras said. “This might be my biggest achievement so far. Struggling this year, hearing I should stop and the negative tone, to believe in myself through a very tough time means a lot.

“To come through that adversity and win the Open, it’s pretty sweet.”

Sampras blasted 33 aces, one for every event he lost between his fifth US Open title and his 2000 victory at Wimbledon, where he broke Roy Emerson’s all-time Slam title mark.

“I never thought anything would surpass what happened at Wimbledon a couple of years ago,” Sampras said. “But the way I have been going this year, to come through this and play the way I did, it was awesome. I felt like I still had one more moment, maybe a couple, and it happened.”

Sampras won his fifth match in seven days, firing 84 winners past Agassi. After failing to finish off Agassi in the third set, a tiring Sampras served notice that his skills are far from gone at age 31.

“I guess I’m back,” Sampras said. “I played so well. Andre brings out the best in me every time I step out with him.”

Agassi, who slid to 140th in the rankings before making a comeback to world No.1, could understand why Sampras saw this as his proudest moment. “It might feel more special to him than any of them just because any time you ask more of yourself it’s that much more of an accomplishment, and it means a lot more to you,” Agassi said.

Sampras matched Jimmy Connors with a record five Open-era US crowns and became the oldest US Open champion since Ken Rosewall in 1970 at age 35. He was the oldest Slam champion since Arthur Ashe won Wimbledon in 1975 a month shy of 32.

The dry spell included runner-up finishes to Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt at last year’s US Open and Russia’s Marat Safin in 2000. Sampras was only 19-17 this year when he arrived, including a second-round defeat at Wimbledon.

Dismissing any thought of retirement, Sampras repeated his plans to play another year and ponder his future after the arrival of his first child in December.

“I still want to play. I love to play,” Sampras said. “In a storybook ending, it might be nice to stop (now). But I still want to compete. I want to see where my heart and my mind are in a couple months.

“I want to stop on my terms. That’s one thing I promised myself.” Sampras seized a 20-14 edge on Agassi in one of the greatest rivalries in tennis history. That includes an 9-7 lead in finals and a 4-1 advantage in Grand Slam finals.

“He’s the best I’ve ever played. He brings out the best in me,” Sampras said. “A little destiny? Sure. It might have gone my way in this event. And with Andre in the final it was a fitting way to end it.”

Sampras broke Agassi in the ninth game of the fourth set, cracking through for the first time since the second set on his third break-point chance when Agassi netted a forehand.

Serving for the match at 5-4 in the fourth, Sampras fired a 119-mph ace to earn two match points. Agassi saved the first with a forehand winner but Sampras slammed a backhand winner to end the match and make history after two hours and 54 minutes. He saved two break points in the fourth game, finally winning the longest game of the match on the 20th point with an overhead smash after seven deuces and 12 minutes to level at 2-2.

Agassi captured the third set by breaking Sampras in the final game. Sampras missed three game points that would have forced a tie-breaker, then committed his eighth double fault and handed Agassi the break by netting a forehand volley.—AFP