Sampras advances, Safin out at U.S. Open

Posted 7:28AM on Saturday 31st August 2002 ( 22 years ago )

NEW YORK - His fastest serve was his last, a 135-mph dart that drove home the obvious: When the lights get turned on at the U.S. Open, so does Pete Sampras. On Friday night he looked more like the dominant player who won the tournament for the fourth time in 1996 than the fading star who hasn't won an event since his Wimbledon in 2000. ``It's the U.S. Open. This is what I play for,'' Sampras said after improving to 18-0 in night matches in the Grand Slam event. ``Being No. 1 is over. I still feel like I've got it out there." Sampras, whose streak of six consecutive year-ending No. 1 rankings ended in 1998, beat Denmark's Kristian Pless 6-3, 7-5, 6-4. Sampras had 21 aces, won 86 percent of the points in which his first serve went in and faced only one break point, saving that. He charged the net frequently, winning with chip shots and playing few long points against the 86th-ranked Pless. ``Just putting pressure on the guys,'' he said. ``I'm going to play him my way. That's to be aggressive.'' Sampras' third-round opponent Sunday will be Greg Rusedski of Britain, who beat Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan 3-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-4 in the last match Friday night. The day's big upset came from unseeded Gustavo Kuerten, a three-time French Open winner and the No. 1 player in 2000. But, coming off hip surgery in February, the man who was seeded first in the U.S. Open last year is unseeded now. Still, the Brazilian stunned former champion and second-seeded Marat Safin 6-4, 6-4, 7-5. ``Maybe today is my happiest day of the year,'' Kuerten said. ``I feel much more relieved. I feel I have nothing to lose. Winning the match, I got my confidence back. I feel happy with myself and my game.'' Safin, the Russian who upset Sampras in the 2000 final, has lost in the second round for two straight majors. ``He's hungry,'' Safin said of Kuerten. ``He wants to come back.'' Friday's other winners included third-seeded Tommy Haas, No. 5 Tim Henman, No. 7 Juan Carlos Ferrero, and No. 11 Andy Roddick, who saw some rough behavior as fans jockeyed for position for his autograph. ``I literally saw the kid take about three elbows to the face,'' Roddick said. ``I didn't sign too long. I don't think it was too safe for the kids in the front.'' Top-seeded Serena Williams beat No. 26 Nathalie Dechy 6-1, 6-1 in her bid to become the first woman to win three straight major titles since Steffi Graf in 1996. Williams will face No. 20 Daja Bedanova for a quarterfinal berth. Fourth-seeded Lindsay Davenport advanced with a 6-3, 6-1 win over 17-year-old qualifier Marion Bartoli of France. Bartoli was born three years before Sampras played in his first U.S. Open, losing in the first round in 1988. He's reached at least the fourth round at the tournament ever since. Now he's seeded just 17th. He looked a lot better than that Friday night. ``You're just a little more keen at night than you are during the day. At least I am,'' said Sampras, the runner-up the last two years. ``My body's awake.'' In the third set, he broke Pless' serve with a forehand passing shot, then held his serve for a 3-1 lead. In the five games he served in the last set, Sampras lost just six points. He admitted that he lost his ``steel will'' after setting a record with his 13th Grand Slam win at Wimbledon in 2000. And he's just 22-17 this year with losses in the first round in the French Open and the second round in Wimbledon. But this is the U.S. Open. ``It's been a struggle this year, but I know where I'm at here as far as how important this tournament is to me,'' Sampras said. ``I feel really comfortable playing here.''

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