PARIS – Pete Sampras caught a break Friday when he drew a
qualifier for his opening match at next week's French Open, the
only Grand Slam tournament he has not won.
Sampras has a record 13 Grand Slam titles, but he has won only
four matches over the past four years at Roland Garros.
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Pam's Picks |
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|  | | Shriver |
Martina Hingis should be pleased with her draw at the French Open, while Venus Williams is stuck with the toughest draw. The draw favors Hingis as much as anybody. Jennifer Capriati and Hingis should play each other in the semifinals and that could be the match of the tournament. Whoever wins that match will win the tournament.
Shriver's complete analysis
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The draw gives him a chance for a good start against an opponent
to be determined. Sampras, seeded fifth, would next meet Galo
Blanco or Rainer Schuettler, both winless at Roland Garros the past
two years.
But on the way to a possible quarterfinal showdown with Andre Agassi, Sampras
may have to face tricky opponents like former finalist Andrei
Medvedev of Ukraine, German Tommy Haas or Frenchman Sebastien
Grosjean, seeded 10th.
The third-seeded Agassi faces a tougher start. He'll open
against Thomas Johansson of Sweden and could face two-time French
Open quarterfinalist Albert Costa of Spain in the second round.
Reigning champion Gustavo Kuerten has another difficult opener.
The top-seeded Brazilian plays talented Argentine teen-ager
Guillermo Coria in the first round, and could meet No.7-seeded
Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the quarterfinals.
Second-seeded Venus Williams, bidding for her first French
title, faces the toughest draw among the top women. Her opening
opponent will be Austrian Barbara Schett, ranked 24th, and
Williams' quarterfinal opponent could be fifth-seeded Frenchwoman
Amelie Mauresmo, who has won four tournaments this year.
Other potential quarterfinal matchups include No. 1-seeded
Martina Hingis against No. 8 Conchita Martinez, the runner-up last
year; No. 3 Lindsay Davenport against No 7 Elena Dementieva; and
No. 4 Jennifer Capriati against No. 6 Serena Williams. Each is
bidding for her first Roland Garros title.
The Williams sisters wouldn't meet until the final.
Other possible men's quarterfinal matchups include No. 2 Marat
Safin against No. 8 Patrick Rafter; and No. 4 Juan Carlos Ferrero
against No. 6 Lleyton Hewitt.
Andy Roddick, an 18-year-old American who won back-to-back
clay-court titles this spring, will play his first French Open
match against Scott Draper, an Australian wild card. Roddick could
next face Michael Chang, who won the French Open as a 17-year-old
in 1989.
Monica Seles, winner of three consecutive Roland Garros titles
in 1990-92, withdrew Friday because of a recurring foot injury.
Anna Kournikova and defending champion Mary Pierce are also
sidelined by injuries.
Information from Reuters was used in this report. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |
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