Sampras ousts Rusedski
in a classic contest
Ossian Shine
Pete Sampras fed his baying New York crowd a night-time diet of guts and heart on Monday, ousting Britain's Greg Rusedski 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 in a U.S. Open classic.
Both battle-hardened warriors set alight the cold, damp and blustery Louis Armstrong court with explosive power play in the floodlit arena, but it was Sampras who was left standing tall in the fourth round after three hours 15 minutes of high drama.
He next runs into Germany's Tommy Haas for a spot in the quarter-finals, and after a lionhearted display will have nothing to fear from the third seed.
"I feel pretty good," the 17th seed said. "But right now my first thought is to get back to my hotel room and get ready for tomorrow."
Completing a dismal night for Britain, the nation's other representative at the Grand Slam slumped out in lacklustre fashion when fifth seed Tim Henman was thrashed 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 by Argentine baseliner Juan Ignacio Chela.
The Briton never got down to work on America's Labor Day national holiday.
EASY PASSAGE
Sixth seed and Sampras's greatest rival Andre Agassi made it look easy, though, as he romped into the quarter-finals with a 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 demolition of fellow American Jan-Michael Gambill.
"I am healthy and I am eager and I have a life that feels like a dream every day," the winner of seven Grand Slams said.
"I am in the quarters...that is a look at the basket," he added. "I do believe I can do it."
Agassi will next face Max Mirnyi after the Belarussian beat Roger Federer 6-3, 7-6, 6-4.
Top seed and defending champion Lleyton Hewitt cruised through, thumping 14th seed Jiri Novak 6-4, 6-2, 7-5. He faces Younes El Aynaoui in the quarters.
"It was pretty good today," he said. "I was able to step it up."
American 11th seed Andy Roddick punched his way past Alex Corretja, beating the Spaniard 6-4, 6-1, 7-6. "I mixed it up really well," he smiled.
Chela is next up for him.
Seventh seed Juan Carlos Ferrero suffered a nightmare, falling 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to Chilean Fernando Gonzalez but former world number one Gustavo Kuerten won an easy passage into the fourth round when his opponent Nicolas Massu retired while trailing the Brazilian 6-1, 5-4.
The winner of a record 13 Grand Slams, Sampras is without a title of any kind since Wimbledon 2000. He is not the force he once was, but this is New York and the Americans love a winner.
ROWDIEST FANS
Sampras has done just that four times here at Flushing Meadows and the loudest, rowdiest fans in tennis were not about to lose their hero.
He did not let them down in the rain-interrupted match which spanned two days.
"I enjoy playing here," Sampras said. "I just love it. I enjoy this facility, the courts, the crowd. This is our Super Bowl here in the U.S. so I'm pretty pumped," the runner-up in 2000 and 2001 added.
The defeat was tough for Rusedski to stomach.
"He did not win this match, I lost it," the 1997 runner-up said.
"I should have been home and dry in three or four sets. He's still a good player, no question about it, but he's not the great player."
Haas may disagree. He beat Thomas Enqvist 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the fourth round and knows a pumped up Sampras will be an enormous obstacle next.
"I am playing against maybe the greatest player ever tomorrow," he said.
In the women's draw, Daniela Hantuchova overcame a lengthy rain delay and a thumb injury to score an upset 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 victory over eighth seed Justine Henin.
WET HARD COURT
The 11th seeded Hantuchova, who has never advanced past the second round of any Grand Slam event in her young career, had looked poised for an easy win on Sunday until rain interrupted their fourth round clash and ended with her sprawled across the wet hard court with a sprained thumb.
At the start of the day there was some concern Hantuchova might not complete the contest, the Slovak rating her chances as no better than 50-50.
But she fought through and her reward is a quarter-final meeting with world number one Serena Williams, who has yet to drop a set and lost just 10 games in her opening four matches.
Fourth seed Lindsay Davenport wasted little time in bulldozing past Italy's Silvia Farina Elia 6-3, 6-1 to advance into the quarter-finals where she will meet Elena Bovina who ousted Francesca Schiavone 7-6, 6-4.
Third-seeded American Jennifer Capriati continued her impressive run disposing of countrywoman Amy Frazier 6-1, 6-3 to advance to a quarters clash with Amelie Mauresmo who ousted Kim Clijsters 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.
