TENNIS / CHAMPIONS CUP : Sampras Finally Gets to Tee Off on Bjorkman

Funny how often golf intrudes upon a tennis tournament. As if this area’s many golf courses aren’t crowded enough, the men’s professional tennis tour pulls into town and deposits its members onto the assorted fairways and driving ranges.

Small wonder players here for the $1.8-million Newsweek Champions Cup at the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort (adjacent to an 18-hole course) have been raving about the tournament, even while they’ve scrambled to get tee times. Boris Becker used to have a deal with the tournament that included the use of a house on a golf course. Avid golfer Jim Courier lives here part time.

For Pete Sampras, golf is also a paramount diversion. So, was top-seeded Sampras upset that he had to wait until Thursday to play his first singles match in a tournament that began Monday? Probably not. Already in town for a week, Sampras has found time to tape a segment for the Golf Channel and play a little golf.

Thursday he got to play a little tennis, an hour and 10 minutes worth, in defeating Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5), in a second-round match. Sampras--possessor of the world’s No. 1 ranking and a 16 handicap--had an easy go in the first set, serving eight aces and winning in 28 minutes.

Sampras found himself in the rough in the second set and got behind, 4-1. Again his serve brought him back, and in the seventh game he broke Bjorkman with a deft display of passing shots.

Each player held serve to send the match into a tiebreaker, which was bad news for Sampras. He had played six tiebreakers this season and lost all of them. On Thursday, he got the upper hand immediately. Sampras served back-to-back aces to go up 5-2, then Bjorkman held serve on the next two points.

Sampras double faulted on the next point to make it 5-5. But he played the final two points masterfully, forcing two errors, and won the set and match.

“I played a good tiebreaker,” Sampras said. “Unfortunately, I double faulted at a bad time, but I played a good match point. It was a good one to get through.”

Although top seeds are accustomed to first-round byes, it’s unusual for a player to have his first match so late in the week. The schedule here is set back because the final is scheduled for Monday, rather than Sunday.

“I played doubles (Wednesday), so I got a little bit used to the court and the balls,” Sampras said. “Playing doubles was a good decision.”

Tennis Notes

Second-seeded Andre Agassi defeated Thomas Enqvist, 6-1, 6-3, in a third-round match Thursday night. David Wheaton defeated 10th-seeded Andrei Medvedev, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4). . . . Pete Sampras was asked Thursday about the possibility of a combined men’s and women’s tournament here. Sampras was careful not to offend. “I don’t want to get into trouble,” he said. But, pushed by journalists, Sampras admitted, “I’d prefer to play a men’s tournament.” ESPN’s Mary Carillo shot back, “You don’t want to play the women? You’d do well.” . . . Germans are winning the power serve sweepstakes. Boris Becker and Michael Stich have been clocked with the fastest serves of the tournament, tied at 127 m.p.h., and countryman Markus Zoecke is third at 126. . . . Today’s schedule changes: The first matches will start at 11 a.m.