PARIS – Pete Sampras saved three match points Tuesday and
pulled out a five-set victory in the first round of the French Open
against a player who's never won an official ATP match.
Sampras beat French qualifier Cedric Kauffmann 6-3, 4-6, 6-2,
3-6, 8-6.
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Worst Sampras losses
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Cedric Kauffmann, at No. 250 on the Entry Ranking System, could have been the lowest player Sampras
had ever lost to. The others:
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|
Rank
|
Player
|
Year
|
Tournament
|
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244
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Todd Woodbridge
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'89
|
Wimbledon
|
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224
|
Mark Keil
|
'91
|
Queens
|
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205
|
Karim Alami
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' 94
|
Doha
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The 29-year-old Sampras has a men's record 13 Grand Slam
tournament titles but has never advanced past the semifinals at
Roland Garros.
Kauffmann, a former University of Kentucky standout, is ranked 250th in the world and was playing in only
his third ATP tournament.
Sampras, who is seeded fifth, grinned in relief as he
congratulated his opponent.
"He didn't miss much," a relieved Sampras said. "He moved as
well as anyone I've played. The guy's in unbelievable shape. He was
moving like a tiger out there."
Sampras closed out the match on his second match point when
Kauffmann hit his final forehand wide.
Kauffmann, 25, plays on the challenger circuit, the next
tier below the ATP Tour, and his only other appearance at this
level was a first-round defeat as a qualifier in last year's
U.S. Open.
His career earnings before Tuesday stood at $65,689,
compared to Sampras's $41.35 million.
But in a style reminiscent of Jim Courier, Sampras's former
rival and compatriot, Kauffmann harried the 13-time Grand Slam winner
all afternoon in a see-saw encounter.
Twice Kauffmann fought back to force a decisive fifth set
and when he broke Sampras's misfiring serve in the opening game
he looked on course for a sensational victory.
Leading 5-3, he twice forced match points on the Sampras
serve but each time the American came up with the shot he needed.
Kauffmann still served for the match at 5-4 and only a
delightful Sampras drop volley prevented him converting a third
match point.
At that stage Sampras suddenly upped his game and a fine
forehand helped him break for 5-5.
Suddenly Kauffmann was on the defensive and, after saving
two match points, he finally cracked by sending a forehand long
on the third match point to Sampras's huge relief.
"He showed a big heart to come back," Kauffmann said. "He's
the best player of the last century, perhaps, with Agassi. I
hope he'll go far, I think he can. I played a good match, I did
all I could." Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |
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AUDIO/VIDEO
 Pete Sampras knows he's lucky to be advancing to the next round (Courtesy: USA Network).
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