ON THE SIDELINES : Americans Lose London Match

Americans Jim Courier and Pete Sampras, the youngest pair in the history of the tournament, were beaten by Australians Darren Cahill and Mark Kratzmann 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 on the opening day of the Masters doubles championship today.

Courier and Sampras said they needed more experience to make an impact in top-class doubles.

“You need to know about court coverage. You need knowledge and experience,” said Courier, 19, a year older than his partner. “Doubles is less about pure skill and more about strategy.”

In the other group of the round-robin event at Royal Albert Hall, South Africans Piet Aldrich and Danie Visser--second in the 1989 Nabisco points rankings--beat Todd Witsken of the United States and Jorge Lozano of Mexico 6-2, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3.

The format of the five-day tournament is the same as the singles Masters, won last weekend by Sweden’s Stefan Edberg. Eight high-ranking teams play three days of round-robin matches, then go into elimination play for the semifinals and final.