Ivanisevic Ruins the Rematch

Mother Nature and Goran Ivanisevic stopped Pete Sampras’ run at the Lipton Championships.

Ivanisevic regrouped during a 48-minute rain delay in the second set and beat Sampras, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, in the semifinals Friday night.

The Croat’s comeback spoiled a bid by Sampras for his fourth consecutive Lipton final. It also spoiled an anticipated rematch between Sampras and Andre Agassi, who have met in the past two finals at Key Biscayne.

Agassi advanced by beating Frenchman Arnaud Boetsch, 6-4, 6-3.

“I heard yesterday everybody talking--a repeat final from last year,” Ivanisevic said. “I just smiled and said, ‘OK, good luck you guys, it is not going to happen.’ ”

Instead, Ivanisevic has a chance Sunday to win his fifth title of the year, and his first ever in the United States. Chanda Rubin will play four-time Lipton champion Steffi Graf in the women’s final today.

The sixth-seeded Ivanisevic served badly at the start and quickly fell behind Sampras. He trailed, 6-2, 1-0, when the rain came. He trudged to the locker room and talked with his new coach, Vedran Martic.

“We started to laugh,” Ivanisevic said. “We started to think what we did 10 years ago at the tennis club in Split [Croatia], and then we started to laugh like idiots, like I am winning 6-2, not losing. Then I said, ‘Gee, what’s going on here?’ Pretty relaxed.”

After the delay, Ivanisevic had all 11 of his aces and twice broke the second-seeded Sampras, who had not lost his serve previously in the tournament.