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Agassi-Sampras Quarterfinal Set

Private Lessons: Practice, Practice, and Practice

And now, a quarterfinal fit for a final.

Ever since the U.S. Open draw was published, the possibility of a quarterfinal showdown between Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi existed. Each needed four wins to get there, and each came through, sometimes with difficulty.

That means a dream match set for Wednesday night: Sampras vs. Agassi with six U.S. Open championships between them. It is marquee material.

The same scenario developed in the women's semifinals, where top-seeded Martina Hingis, still ranked No. 1 in the world, will face Serena Williams in a match of former champions. Hingis won this title in 1997, Williams in 1999.

They have met 10 times, with Hingis holding a 6-4 edge, including the last three matches.

Hingis, trying to end a 10-tournament Grand Slam slump, eliminated practice partner Daja Bedanova 6-2, 6-0, setting up the date with Williams, who outlasted 1998 champion Lindsay Davenport 6-3, 6-7 (7), 7-5.

``It's going to be tough to go through,'' Hingis said. ``But you have to expect that in the semifinals. You wait for those matches. They bring out the best in me. Hopefully, also I make them play the best.''

Hingis won the first 11 points and broke the 18-year-old Bedanova six times. It was an easy victory in sharp contrast to her struggle in the previous round against Iva Majoli.

Williams, like Sampras seeded No. 10, wasted two match points early and came back to defeat Davenport.

``I really wanted to win more than anything,'' she said.

She knows she will have another tough match against Hingis. ``I've had a few the last few days,'' she said. ``I come out to be in the final. Two more to go. Two more.''

Also advancing to the quarterfinals were No. 7 Yevgeny Kafelnikov and No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten. Kafelnikov ended a three-match losing streak against No. 12 Arnaud Clement, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3, and Kuerten downed Albert Costa 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7).

No. 18 Andy Roddick reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time, beating Tommy Robredo 6-2, 6-2, 6-4.

Roddick hit a 141 mph serve — third-fastest in tournament history — and became the youngest men's quarterfinalist at the Open since Andre Agassi in 1988. He'll next play the winner of the match between No. 16 Tommy Haas and No. 4 Lleyton Hewitt.

Haas led 6-3, 2-2 when play was suspended until Wednesday because of rain.

``I just hope they run each other a lot,'' Roddick said.

Sampras leads the series against Agassi 17-14, but has lost their last three meetings, including two finals this year.

The last time they met at the Open was in the 1995 final which Sampras won in four sets. Their last Grand Slam meeting was in the Australian Open final last year, when Agassi won in five sets.

The three losses to Agassi this year are part of a 17-tournament slump Sampras has endured since setting the Grand Slam record by winning Wimbledon in 1999. That added up to a No. 10 seed at the Open, a tournament he has won four times.

Sampras and Agassi both experienced some struggles in the early rounds at the Open. Sampras was forced to three tiebreaks in the first two matches and lost a set to Rafter before reaching the quarters. Agassi had three tiebreak sets, losing one of them, in his second and third matches.

What's important, though, is both reached the quarters feeling good about their game and their prospects.

``I've had a few challenges over the year, but this is a very, very tough draw, even from my first match on,'' Sampras said. ``To play Pat in the 16 and back it up against Andre, this is about as tough as it's going to get. It's a huge challenge.

``I feel like I'm up to the challenge. I've got a good shot at moving on. I'm going to have to play very well.''

Agassi understood the significance of playing Sampras next.

``If you win, you've done something pretty incredible by beating one of the game's best,'' he said. ``If you lose, you know you were part of something, part of a challenge and opportunity that you know you're not going to get very often.''

Venus' Words Help Serena Williams

Mindful of a recent conversation with her sister, Serena Williams stayed cool in the third set for a breakthrough victory at the U.S. Open.

Williams ended a streak of losses in four consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals Tuesday night, edging Lindsay Davenport 6-3, 6-7 (7), 7-5 to reach the semifinals.

During the match, Williams remembered a discussion while watching the Open on TV earlier in the tournament with older sister Venus, who happens to be the defending champion.

``Venus told me the other day that champions don't get nervous in tight situations,'' Williams said. ``That really helped me a lot. I decided I shouldn't get nervous and just do the best I can.''

Capping a furious exchange on her third match point, Williams ripped a forehand winner for the victory. In the semifinals, she plays top-seeded Martina Hingis, who advanced by beating Daja Bedanova 6-2, 6-0 in 42 minutes.

Williams won the 1999 Open at 17, but has been frustrated in major events since. She lost to Davenport at the Open a year ago and lost three-set matches in three Grand Slam quarterfinals this year.

``I definitely should have been more serious in the past,'' Williams said. ``I get tired of losing in the quarterfinals all the time. I would like to go three steps father than the quarterfinals.''

She'll try to take the next step Friday against Hingis, who has won their last three matches and leads the series 6-4.

Davenport said the result will depend largely on Williams.

``She has the game to overpower Martina,'' Davenport said. ``How many errors compared to winners she has will be the difference.''

The Davenport-Williams match was a seesaw slugfest between former champions. Rallies were short and many shots long, with 40 unforced errors for Williams and 33 for Davenport as both players went for winners on virtually every point.

Williams blew a 2-0 lead in the second set and failed to convert a pair of match points in the tiebreaker. In the final set, she went ahead 3-0 and was serving at 4-2, 40-love before Davenport made one last charge to reach 4-4.

Williams shook off her frustration at the squandered leads.

``I decided I can't pay a person to rewind time, so I may as well get over it,'' she said.

In the final game, Williams hit a lunging crosscourt volley to make it 30-all, then smacked a return into the corner, out of Davenport's reach. That gave Williams another match point, and this time she embraced the chance, belting three consecutive sizzling forehands, the third angled crosscourt for a winner.

Williams clenched her teeth, pumped her fists and screamed to celebrate the win, which heightened the prospect of an all-Williams final Saturday night.

``That would be great,'' she said. ``I'm sure TV would love it.''

Venus Williams was scheduled to play Kim Clijsters in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Williams Beats Davenport at US Open

Serena Williams kept building a lead, and Lindsay Davenport kept coming back.

Finally, capping a furious exchange on her third match point, Williams ripped a forehand winner for a 6-3, 6-7 (7), 7-5 victory Tuesday night in the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open.

Williams blew leads of 2-0 in the second set and 3-0 in the third. Davenport erased two match points in the tiebreaker to force the final set.

In the final game, Williams hit a lunging crosscourt volley to make it 30-all, then smacked a return winner, and then on match point belted three consecutive sizzling forehands, the third for a winner.

Williams screamed ``Yes!'' and pumped her fists to celebrate ending a streak of losses in four consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals, including the Open last year when she was beaten by Davenport.

Williams' opponent Friday will be top-seeded Martina Hingis, who beat Daja Bedanova 6-2, 6-0 in 42 minutes.

``It's going to be tough,'' Hingis said. ``But you have to expect that in a semifinal.''

No. 1-seeded Gustavo Kuerten advanced to the men's quarterfinals by beating Albert Costa 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7). Kuerten will next play No. 7 Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who beat No. 12 Arnaud Clement 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.

No. 16 Tommy Haas led No. 4 Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 2-2 when their match was suspended until Wednesday because of rain.

The marquee match Wednesday night will be the 32nd meeting between four-time U.S. Open champion Pete Sampras and two-time champ Andre Agassi.

While women's tennis has soared in popularity thanks to an abundance of magazine-cover personalities, Hingis and Bedanova provided a reminder that unsightly mismatches are still common, even in the second week of major events.

The 18-year-old Bedanova, who upset two-time champion Monica Seles in the fourth round, admitted she was nervous in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.

``I wasn't on court with my mind,'' Bedanova said. ``I wanted too much from myself, I guess.''

Bedanova and Hingis were both born in the Czech Republic, and they practiced together when Bedanova was about 10 and stayed at Hingis' house in Trubbach, Switzerland.

``She's like my little pupil,'' Hingis said with a grin.

Their latest tutoring session, at Arthur Ashe Stadium, started strangely. Hingis won the first 11 points before double-faulting, prompting cheers from restless spectators eager for a closer contest. Bedanova then won nine of the next 10 points, evening the match at 2-all.

Thereafter Bedanova could do little right. She lost 10 consecutive games, winning only seven points in the final seven games.

The match was nothing like what Hingis will face next, because Bedanova — like Hingis — relies on placement and anticipation rather than the power game favored by Williams.

``I was actually surprised today,'' Hingis said. ``It's like the balls are actually coming at me at a slower pace. But still I welcome this game with open arms. You don't see that too often from a youngster. She's much more a strategy player than a hard-hitter. That's very unusual these days.''

Hingis Reaches Semis at U.S. Open

Martina Hingis, trying to end a Grand Slam losing streak that has reached 10 tournaments, became the first player to reach the semifinals of the U.S. Open on Tuesday, defeating Daja Bedanova 6-2, 6-0.

Hingis has retained her No. 1 ranking despite not winning a Slam since the Australian Open in 1999. Particularly galling were first-round losses at Wimbledon in 1999 and again this year.

Bedanova, a frequent practice partner for Hingis, had lost her serve just twice in the first four matches, but against Hingis held serve just once and was broken six times.

Hingis won the first 11 points of the match before a double fault. The 18-year-old Bedanova used the opening for her own break and five straight points, punctuating that stretch with a forehand that set up a neat drop volley that Hingis had no chance to reach. It was her only break of the match.

Bedanova displayed a range of shots including a big overhead that produced important points. But Hingis was never in real trouble, using her experience to win the set in 25 minutes.

She broke Bedanova at love in the first game of the second set and swept her away, winning long points and short ones. After being tied 2-2, Hingis won the last 10 games of the match.

Next for Hingis is the winner of Thursday night's match between former champions Lindsay Davenport and Serena Williams.

Earlier Tuesday, Yevgeny Kafelnikov ended a three-match losing streak against Arnaud Clement, advancing to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 victory.

Kafelnikov, seeded No. 7, had not beaten Clement since 1999 in Moscow and played careful, calculated tennis after being stretched to five sets in the first two rounds and four in the third, all against qualifiers.

In the first set, the Russian wasted four set points before putting Clement away. His lead teetered for a while with Clement, the Australian Open runner-up, getting three break chances that would have tied the set. Each time, Kafelnikov saved the breaks.

Wearing a bandanna and wraparound sunglasses on an overcast day, the 12th-seeded Clement's finest moment came in the second set. After Kafelnikov slammed Clement's drop shot to go up 4-2, he had a chance to build on the edge.

With Clement out of position, sliding to return a shot, Kafelnikov tried a half-volley. Clement got to it for the point and Kafelnikov threw his racket to the court in anger.

He recovered his composure to break Clement and went on to win the set. Then Kafelnikov broke twice in the third set before Clement drew a warning for hitting a ball into the stands. While he was arguing the call with chair umpire Enric Molina, rain interrupted play.

When the players returned after 47 minutes, Kafelnikov finished Clement off, capitalizing on 54 unforced errors to advance.

Next for Kafelnikov, in the Open quarters for just the second time, is the winner of the match between No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten and Albert Costa, played later Tuesday.

Venus Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Kim Clijsters and Amelie Mauresmo all advanced to the quarters with victories Monday.

Venus Williams, the defending champion, defeated Sandrine Testud 6-4, 6-0 and plays Clijsters, a 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 winner over Elena Dementieva.

Capriati, seeking her third Grand Slam of the year, ousted Barbara Schett 6-3, 6-3 and next meets Mauresmo, who won an all-French match from Nathalie Tauziat 6-0, 6-7 (1), 6-3.

Capriati and Venus Williams are the only remaining women yet to drop a set at the Open.

On the men's side, four-time Open champion Pete Sampras and two-time winner Andre Agassi advanced to a much anticipated quarterfinal on Wednesday. Sampras defeated Patrick Rafter, a two-time winner of this event, 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-4, and Agassi had an easier time with Roger Federer, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.

Also advancing was defending champion Marat Safin, who defeated Thomas Johansson 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) Monday night. Next for Safin is Mariano Zabaleta, who advanced with a 6-4, 7-6 (4), 7-5 victory over Xavier Malisse.

Almost as anticipated as the Sampras-Agassi match is Andy Roddick's next outing. The teen-ager plays his third night featured match Tuesday against Tommy Robredo.

Roddick's play has provided a buzz at the Open. He celebrated his 19th birthday during the tournament and has displayed a mature game that some people say could take him straight into the final.

The Roddick-Robredo winner gets a quarterfinal date with the winner of Tuesday's earlier match between Lleyton Hewitt and Tommy Haas.

Sampras, Agassi, Capriati Advance

Don't dismiss Pete Sampras from the U.S. Open just yet.

The Grand Slam record-holder with 13 victories, returned to the quarterfinals of the Open on Monday with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-4 victory over Patrick Rafter.

Struggling without a win in 17 tournaments since setting the Grand Slam record at Wimbledon last year, Sampras arrived at the Open with an uncharacteristically low 10th seed.

This is a tournament he has won four times and he said he would use it to end the whispers about his vulnerability. Against Rafter, he looked like the old Sampras, blasting serves up to 132 mph, taking advantage of every opportunity.

Sampras' serve was flawless. He had 20 aces, just 14 unforced errors and ripped 60 winners.

In what may have been his last Grand Slam match, the sixth-seeded Rafter, a two-time Open champion, battled gamely. Trailing 2-5 in the first set, he saved six break points in a 22-point eighth game. It was just a momentary interruption for Sampras, though. He won the set on his serve in the next game.

Sampras lost just 14 points on his serve in the first two sets and Rafter never found a way to break through it. When the Australian had him at break point in the third set, Sampras came to the net for a cross-court return and punctuated the point with a shout.

Rafter, who is considering retirement after this year, picked up the pace of his game in the third set, forcing Sampras to a tiebreak. He edged in front on a double fault by Sampras and went on to win 7-5, forcing the fourth set. It was the first set Sampras has lost in the tournament.

They battled on even terms through the fourth set, trading booming serves until the 10th game. Then Rafter's seventh double fault put him in trouble. He saved two match points before Sampras ended it on extraordinary exchange for the final point.

Next for Sampras is two-time Open champion Andre Agassi, who battered Roger Federer 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.

Two-time champion Agassi charged into the quarterfinals, battering Roger Federer 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.

Federer, who stunned Sampras at Wimbledon, never threatened. Agassi sailed through the first two sets in 48 minutes and quickly put aside any thoughts of an upset by the 13th-seeded Swiss.

Agassi, winner of the Open in 1994 and 1999, converted five of six break opportunities and was never broken in nine chances by Federer.

On Sunday, top-seeded Gustavo Kuerten rallied to beat big-serving Belarussian Max Mirnyi 6-7 (5), 5-7, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-2. Thousands of noisy fans -- a few waving Brazilian flags -- stayed until the finish at 12:17 a.m.

"That was a great win," Kuerten said. "All the sets were decided by very little. We both played a great match and one had to win, so I was lucky it was me."

Also advancing Sunday were No. 4 Lleyton Hewitt, No. 7 Yevgeny Kafelnikov, No. 12 Arnaud Clement, No. 16 Tommy Haas, No. 18 Andy Roddick, Albert Costa and Tommy Robredo.

Robredo defeated fellow Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (1). Ferrero, at No. 5, is the highest-seeded player ousted in the tournament so far.

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