TENNIS : Despite Limp, Sampras Is Too Much for Washington

Pete Sampras limped off the court when he should have been strutting.

Sampras overcame shin splints and overpowered MaliVai Washington, 6-3, 6-2, in Sunday’s final at the Lipton Championships.

With his left foot hurting, the second-seeded Sampras moved gingerly between points, then won them simply by hitting the ball harder than Washington.

“To play with pain is not any fun,” Sampras said. “Fortunately, I was able to play through it, and I played OK.”

Sampras had six aces and 11 service winners, many on important points, and hit 34 winners.

Most significant, Sampras dominated the pivotal points. He converted all three of his break points on Washington’s serve, and denied Washington eight consecutive times when Washington had a break opportunity.

The snap in Sampras’ forehand might have had something to do with the throb in his foot.

“Sometimes you might suck it up and say, ‘I have to win this point so I don’t have to play another point and can change sides and rest,’ ” he said. “I didn’t want to get into a lot of long rallies.”

Now, he’ll rest for two weeks and hope to feel better. He’ll also undergo a bone scan to make sure there’s no stress fracture.

Sore shins have bothered Sampras for two years, but the pain became worse at Key Biscayne. Rain delays forced him to play five matches in five days.

“I’m on hard courts pounding and pounding, and not getting any better,” he said.

By winning his second tournament title this year, Sampras earned $208,900 and improved his record for 1993 to 20-3.

The victory might invite criticism of Sampras for declining to play in the U.S. Davis Cup team’s first-round match at Australia beginning Friday. But the shin splints tell him it was the right decision.

“The way my body is feeling,” he said, “it would have been stupid to play.”