Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, September 11, 1995 TAG: 9509110142
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: SPORTS EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
Sampras spilled blood diving for a volley, rocked Agassi with 24 aces, and when they engaged in the most crucial baseline rallies beat the defending champion at his own game to win 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, two months after taking his third straight Wimbledon.
Right down to the end, when Sampras served his 142nd ace of the tournament at 120 mph, he put on a brilliant show of his power, control and resilience under pressure that he dedicated to his absent and ailing coach, Tim Gullikson.
``That's for you, Timmy,'' Sampras said to the television camera, knowing Gullikson was watching at home in suburban Chicago. ``Wish you were here.''
One point, a magnificent rally of 22 shots that sent them both scurrying from side to side, made all the difference in the first set and, ultimately, the match.
A backhand crosscourt by Sampras ended that rally, broke Agassi and closed a set in which Agassi had yielded only two points in his first four service games.
It was a game that showed both the best of Sampras and the worst of Agassi, with a little luck thrown in. Sampras reached his first break point with a forehand return that clipped the net cord and trickled over out of Agassi's reach. Agassi's service winner brought it back to deuce, but he went to break-point again when he clubbed an easy overhead 10 feet long.
Agassi thought he'd even it up again when he got Sampras running desperately in a baseline duel. Instead, it was Sampras who put away that last shot of the longest rally, and Agassi who could only stare at it and hang his head.
``It's probably one of the best points I've ever been part of,'' Sampras said. ``That was a huge point. I certainly hope it turns up on the play of the day.
``He's so quick. I felt if I could keep him moving, keep him moving, I could come in on a short shot. But I never really thought I had a winner until I hit that last backhand.''
For Agassi, that point made him realize there was little he was going to get away with on this day.
``Pete knows how to seize opportunities,'' Agassi said. ``I ran him from 12 corners. He had to work for it, but he got it. And to think, the wind was against him there.''
Agassi, who came in with a 26-match winning streak, scrambled back in the third set, capitalizing on Sampras' suddenly more erratic serves and breaking him for the first time in the third game. When Agassi broke Sampras again to close the set, it seemed for a few moments he might finally wear him down, push him all the way to a fifth and raise this final to the level of the hype that preceded it.
This match, for all of their fine rallies and all of Sampras' aces, never quite lived up to its potential.
The swirling wind on a cool afternoon made it harder for Agassi, who counts on the timing of his groundstrokes. For Sampras, his serves cut right through the wind, and his volleys reduced the chances of the wind tossing his shots around.
Sampras bunched his aces, dealing out three in one game in the second set, four in the sixth game of the fourth set. He had aces on three of his last five serves.
Agassi blamed his own weariness as much as the wind for the loss, though he gave Sampras full credit.
``It's been a long summer,'' Agassi said. ``In the first set, I felt my legs. ... It was way too early in the match to feel that way. I was lacking a little strength. I guess you could say I didn't have pep in my step.''
The official rankings mean little to either of them. What counts most are Grand Slam titles, and this year Sampras has the two biggest and Agassi only the one he grabbed back in January at the Australian Open.
Sampras became only the fourth player in history to win three U.S. Open and three Wimbledon men's singles titles, putting him in the company of John McEnroe, Bill Tilden and Fred Perry.
by CNB