|
June 16
| |
TEN: HEWITT PUSHES SAMPRAS ALL THE WAY AT QUEEN'S
By Louise Robson
LONDON, June 12 AAP - Lleyton Hewitt took five-times Wimbledon winner Pete Sampras right
to the wire in a nail-biting semi-final at the Queen's Club tournament.
Sampras, who regains his world No 1 ranking on Monday, took three sets and a tie-break to
defeat the 42nd ranked 18-year-old from Adelaide 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7-4).
"He was probably a point or two away from beating me," the second seed said
after the game.
"He was making me work on every point."
Hewitt played some of his most polished and focused tennis of the tournament with no sign
of the outbursts that marred his quarter final match against Cedric Pioline or his brief
appearance at the French Open.
With an early break on the American he forged ahead to take the first set and although
Sampras lifted the pressure in the second he was unable to break the younger player's
serve until the final game as rain started to fall.
Play was halted for more than two hours and when they resumed Sampras took a tumble on a
slippery court and Hewitt immediately won the first break.
Sampras fought back to level at 3-all, but the deadlocked set went to a tie-break, where
from 3-1 Sampras clawed his way back to take the match and advance to his third Queen's
final.
He will meet the winner of the second semi-final between Briton Tim Henman and Armenian
Sargis Sargsian, rained off today with Henman leading 6-1 3-2.
Sampras and Hewitt had played once before in a straight sets Sampras win at New Haven last
year and the grass-court veteran said he had noticed a huge improvement.
"I knew it was going to be tough," Sampras said.
"You don't get to the semis beating these players by not playing well so I knew he
was going to come out very focused and nothing to lose."
Sampras predicted a huge future for the youngster, who has the tools and the game to make
an impressive grass-courter.
"It was good tennis. He's going to be around for many many years. He's got some
talent and he's only 18 and he's just going to get better and better as the years go
on," Sampras said.
"He returns very well and he serves big enough where he can hold on to serve and made
me work very very hard on my service games.
"I think he realises that if he's going to break into the top, whatever his goals
are, he's going to have to serve much harder.
"He's just going to get bigger and his main weapon is his speed.
"He's very very quick and agile on the court."
Hewitt, who claimed Mark Philippoussis' scalp in the third round here, said he was
delighted with the way he played against the five-times Wimbledon winner.
"I think it was up there with the Philippoussis match as one of my best two matches
on grass," he said.
"It's always easier playing someone who's a top 10 player. The second time around
you're not so much overawed by them and you know their game a little bit better.
"Since playing Newport last year it's just about been a year since I've seen a grass
court again.
"I'm rapt to make the semi-finals at Queen's in such a big tournament with so many
good players as well and especially to beat Philippoussis on grass, and also Pioline,
who's been a Wimbledon finalist."
Hewitt, who goes into Wimbledon with the reputation of a dangerman, will round off his
preparation with another grass court warm-up at Nottingham next week.
"I've got to take a lot of good things away from today and it was only a few points
in the end that cost me the match."
Sampras reaches Queen's final
.LONDON (AP) - Pete Sampras is on the verge of winning the Queens tournament. If the past
is any indication, pre-Wimbledon success may not necessarily be a good sign.
Sampras held off 18-year-old Australian Lleyton Hewitt for a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) victory
in Saturday's semifinal of the Queen's grass-court tournament.
``I've done well at Wimbledon having lost the first round here - and having won here,''
Sampras said. ``I've lost early the last two years and won Wimbledon and so you can't read
too much into my results here. But it does
help the confidence and that's what I need at the moment.''
Sampras will face the winner of the other semifinal match between Britain's Tim Henman and
Sargis Sargsian of Armenia, which was stopped due to rain after Henman won the first set,
6-1.
It will be completed Sunday before the final.
In the third set, begun after a rain delay, Sampras was broken in the first game - after
taking a bad fall - but then broke back in the sixth. Hewitt had a break point in the 11th
game but couldn't capitalize. He was also up 3-1 in
the tiebreaker before losing 7-4.
Sampras gave Hewitt glowing marks.
``I knew it would be tough and he (Hewitt) would come out very focused,'' Sampras said.
``He's beaten (Mark) Philippoussis, (Cedric) Pioline, guys that are experienced
grass-court players. He's got the tools for grass-court
tennis. He returns very well and he serves big enough, and he made me work very, very hard
on my service games. He was probably a point or two from being there.''
Sampras said he was frightened by his fall in the third set.
``The first point after the rain delay, I came out and had a bad tumble, and I
double-faulted twice after that,'' he said. ``You have thoughts of doing something
horrific that could end your career.''
He was also high on Henman becoming Britain's first Wimbledon winner since Fred Perry in
1936.
``I've practiced with Tim consistently over the past couple of years,'' he said. ``Last
year's match (at Wimbledon) was a tough four-setter and I had to work very hard to win
that match. He's made huge gains since then and has been playing very well. If anything
he's even hungrier this year because he has come close.''
Back to Articles
|
