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Now Matthieu spanks Sampras!!!!!!

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#1 ·
Mathieu Upsets Sampras at Waterhouse

The Associated Press
Tuesday, August 20, 2002; 10:44 PM

COMMACK, N.Y. –– Paul-Henri Mathieu, the last of the 48 players to get into the main draw, stunned Pete Sampras 6-3, 6-7 (9), 6-4 in a second-round match at the TD Waterhouse Cup on Tuesday night.

The 20-year-old, a pro since 1999, originally was scheduled to play in the qualifier but was moved up when Thomas Enqvist withdrew because of an upper respiratory infection.

Earlier this year Mathieu reached the fourth round of the French Open in his native Paris, losing to Andre Agassi after taking a 2-0 lead.

"This is the biggest win of my career," he said. "It's a great feeling. I had the same feeling when I played against Agassi. You see them on television all the time, but I tried not to be in awe of them. I played my own game."

Sampras has not won a tournament since Wimbledon in 2000, the last of record 13 Grand Slam titles. The non-winning streak has reached 32 straight tournaments and next up is the U.S. Open, which starts Aug. 26.

Sampras has won the Open four times and was the runner-up the last two years.

"People have to realize who I am when I get to the U.S. Open next week," he said. "I sure won't be the man to beat, Lleyton Hewitt has taken care of that, but when it comes to that tournament, I'm there."

Sampras blew three break points in the seventh game of the third set.

"I lost the first set before I knew it and the crowd helped me get through the second," he said. "I started slow but he returned great winners and got into a zone. I never saw him play before so I didn't know what to expect. He's a great shotmaker and has talent."

Asked if he saw a decline in the play of Sampras, Mathieu politely responded: "He still has his serve."

:bounce: :eek: :eek: :bounce:
 
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#4 ·
Yes Tennishack, I would have liked to have bought him too.

SOon enough he will be buyable :p

It is hitmans rule, don't blame me :D Hitman wanted to make it top 30 only :eek: *pokes hitman in the forehead*

But I was expecting to see a scoreline of like 6-4 6-1 by the us of *spanking* , but oh well.

Good for him :) He should have beaten Agassi at the French too ;)
 
#5 ·
I saw this kid play Andre at the French. The talent was obvious and his patience surprised me.

You're right Rebecca, he should have won that match. But then we wouldnt have experienced the joy of seeing Andre lose to Ferrero. ;)
 
#10 ·
LOL! And all we hear every years is "this year is Tim's year!" :rolleyes:

Well done 2 PH Mattheiu :D
 
#12 ·
Men's Match of the Day
Long Island - Second Round
Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Pete Sampras (3) 6-3 6-7(7-9) 6-4


When Pete Sampras announced that he would examine his future at the end of 2003, he probably wanted to make people shut up about his retirement. We have this funny feeling it's not going to work. At least not as long as Sampras posts results like this.

Of course, Paul-Henri Mathieu is a kid with a lot of promise; he did almost beat Andre Agassi at Roland Garros this year. And he's only 20, so he's still improving.

Rapidly, it would seem. Because, over the past two years, Sampras's best surface, overall, has been his native hardcourts. And Matheiu beat him there.

In the short term, this probably won't cost Sampras in the rankings. He came in with a 260 point lead over Alex Corretja in the Entry Rankings, with 120 to defend. At worst, Sampras will fall to #18.

But that's #18 with a U. S. Open final to defend. That score represents nearly half of the points he has left. Assuming Thomas Johansson plays, Sampras will be seeded for the Round of 32 at the Open this year, and he could end up playing Johansson or Roger Federer or Andy Roddick in the third round. Assuming he gets that far. Sampras, two weeks from now, could be staring at a ranking of #35 -- or lower. Potentially, that means being unseeded at next year's Australian Open. He might even find himself in qualifying for the fall Masters Series.

Makes you wonder just how much of this he can put up with, doesn't it?

As for Mathieu, he came in at #85 in the Entry Rankings, and he's now had what he regards as the biggest win of his career. We have to remind him of what we say every week around this time: "No bonus points." It's just a second round win at a small tournament. A whole 20 Entry points. Still, it should be good for probably two more ranking spots.

And, of course, a nice boost of confidence.

bob larson
 
#15 ·
TennisHack said:


No way would Sampras ever have to qualify for a TMS event. The tourneys would give him a wildcard in a heartbeat :rolleyes:
And that would be fair. :D

Great job, Paul Henri.

I will pretend I didnt notice the poke, Becca. :rolleyes:
 
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