New kid on the block

Victoria Sun

Monday, Sept. 10, 2001 | 10:41 a.m.

NEW YORK -- For six matches leading up to the men's singles final at the U.S. Open, four-time champion Pete Sampras looked invincible.

Shrugging off talk that he was headed for retirement, having failed to win a title in his last 17 tries, Sampras held serve for 87 consecutive games heading into the championship.

In beating three former U.S. Open champions (Pat Rafter, Andre Agassi and Marat Safin) in succession to earn a spot in Sunday's final against 20-year-old Australian Lleyton Hewitt, Sampras had hit volleys with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker. He struck his one-handed backhand and serves with the accuracy of an Italian tailor. Quite simply, he played the game that earned him a record 13 Grand Slam singles titles.

But on the day it mattered the most, the day 30-year-old Sampras had the opportunity to silence his critics, Hewitt melted him like a chocolate bar left on the front seat of a car.

In a stunning reversal of roles, fourth-seeded Hewitt destroyed 10th-seeded Sampras 7-6 (4), 6-1, 6-1 in under two hours before a sellout crowd of 23,960 at Arthur Ashe Stadium to win his first Grand Slam title.

"I don't know when it will sink in, if it ever will," Hewitt said. "Just to have won a Grand Slam now at the age of 20. Four years ago, I was here playing juniors. I lost in the round of 16 or something. On my badge, I still have the junior photo on the front. It wasn't that long ago when I didn't talk to any of you guys.

"Now, in front of everyone, I have the world's TV cameras on me. I went and told (girlfriend and women's player) Kim (Clijsters), 'I'm not going to wake up, this isn't going to happen.' It is unbelievable at the moment."

Hewitt earned $850,000 for the victory while Sampras pocketed $425,000.

The match probably seemed like a recurring nightmare to Sampras, who has now lost to Hewitt in their last three meetings.

For Sampras, this loss, played in front of his helpless coach, Paul Annacone, and equally despondent wife, actress Bridgette Wilson, was a much bigger letdown.

It was here at the USTA's National Tennis Center in 1990 at Louis Armstrong Stadium when a 19-year-old Sampras won his first Grand Slam title. This was his worst loss at the U.S. Open since 1989 when he lost to Jay Berger in the fourth round, 7-5, 6-2, 6-1.

"This is probably more (disappointing) because I worked so hard to get here, got through some tough matches and played some great tennis," Sampras said. "You know, last year I got overpowered in a way.

"Today I just got outplayed. It's just tough to kind of put into words right now how I feel, just getting off the court.

"I'm sure as time goes by, I'll reflect and feel good about what I did here. But only one name gets on that trophy and it's not mine. That's the harsh reality of it."

The reality was that the headstrong Hewitt never gave Sampras any reason for hope after winning the tiebreaker.

Known for incensing the public with his disparaging remarks directed at umpires and linesmen, Hewitt was in the middle of another controversy after his second-round win over American James Blake.

Hewitt allegedly accused Marion Jones, a black linesman, of showing favoritism towards Blake, who is half black. The ITF announced it could not prove Hewitt's intent and brushed the matter aside.

The incident didn't prove to be a distraction for Hewitt.

All day long he destroyed Sampras' confidence by hitting incredible returns to neutralize Sampras' usually deadly serve and came up with equally amazing passing shots.

Hewitt converted an impressive six of 13 break points for the match and allowed Sampras just two break opportunities.

"He's a very strong, mentally tough guy," Sampras said. "He's a fighter.

"That's how he wins his matches. He competes well. He just put everything aside and focused on what he had to do out there."

Hewitt held serve at love to start the second set then had a double-break point after a visibly shaken Sampras dumped the first of many backhand volleys into the net. Sampras saved the game after one deuce with two big serves, but he was never really safe from Hewitt's deliberate attack.

The counter-punching Australian held again at love and broke Sampras for a 3-1 lead in a game that went to four deuces. Sampras' usually lethal backhand volley deserted him twice this time to give Hewitt the big break.

Hewitt then held and broke Sampras' serve and spirit for good the following game. After the third deuce, Sampras double-faulted, giving Hewitt his third break point of the game and followed it up with a backhand volley that sailed long.

In the second set, Hewitt committed only one unforced error to Sampras' 11.

"The reason I wasn't quite that sharp is because of the way he was returning," Sampras said. "Every time I made a second serve, he made me play.

"I was hitting low volleys. The harder I served, the more I put into it, the better he returned.

"He's got the best return in the game, the best wheels in the game. He possesses now a much better serve. You'll see him contending here for the next 10 years."

Nerves seemed to get the better of both players early.

Hewitt broke Sampras in the first game by hitting the first of many forehand-down-the-line passing shots and Sampras immediately returned the favor when Hewitt double-faulted for the second time in his service game.

As the match progressed, Hewitt, who is now 4-4 against Sampras, used his speed and passing shots to baffle the normally unflappable Sampras.

Hewitt raced out to a 3-0 lead in the tiebreaker by hitting a 114-mph ace before Sampras regrouped to tie it at 3-3.

Sampras won his final point of the tie-breaker when Hewitt mishit Sampras' 104-mph second serve.

Two blown volleys in a row by Sampras, one into the net and one past the baseline, gave Hewitt the first set.

"It was huge, no doubt about it," Hewitt said. "I was under a fair bit of pressure on my service games throughout the first set.

"I was able after dropping it in the second game, able to sneak out of those service games. It was pretty big."

Almost as big as his trophy.

To date, they've won six doubles titles including Wimbledon and were runners-up three times. At the U.S. Open, Stubbs also teamed with Australian countryman Todd Woodbridge to win the mixed doubles championship.