Sampras Puts on Another Classic Display

Before he took the court for the final of the ATP Tour Championship, Pete Sampras was voted the best tennis player of the past 25 years.

Then he showed why.

Sampras defeated Yevgeny Kafelnikov, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, on Sunday at Hanover, Germany to win his fourth ATP Tour title.

“When my game clicks like that, I feel unbeatable,” Sampras said.

Sampras, the world’s No. 1 player for the fifth consecutive year, became the first player to win the ATP title in back-to-back years since Ivan Lendl in 1986 and 1987. He also won this season-ending event in 1991, 1994 and 1996, joining Ilie Nastase with four ATP titles. Only Lendl, with five, has won more.

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In a matchup of the players who will enter this week’s season-ending Chase Championships ranked No. 1 and No. 2, Martina Hingis defeated Lindsay Davenport, 7-5, 6-7 (9-7), 7-6 (7-4), in the $450,000 Advanta Championships at Villanova, Pa.

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Andre Agassi, in prolonged slump, endured another setback when he was beaten by Christian Vinck of Germany, 6-2, 7-5, in the final of the Luxor Las Vegas-USTA Challenger tournament.

Agassi, ranked No. 1 in the world for 30 weeks in 1995 and for two weeks early in 1996, has fallen to No. 141.

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The ATP Tour is planning major changes beginning in 2000--moves that will simplify the ranking system, cut the number of top events and possibly join men’s and women’s tournaments.

Mark Miles, chief executive officer of the men’s tour, also said at Hanover, Germany, that the season-ending ATP World Tour Championship would rotate around the world.

The restructuring will reduce the number of top-tier tournaments from nine to seven, and the new calendar taking effect in 2000 will start with the Australian Open, followed by two tournaments in the United States--Indian Wells and Key Biscayne, Fla., with Key Biscayne switching from a hard court to clay.

World Sports

Susan Auch and Catriona LeMay-Doan won the women’s 500 and 1,000 and Jeremy Wotherspoon won the men’s 1,000 as Canada won three of four events in the final day of a World Cup speedskating event at Roseville, Minn.

Auch put together a strong final 100 to catch Franziska Schenk of Germany in the 500 in 39.86 seconds.

Laurie Baker scored two goals as the United States women’s national hockey team continued its pre-Olympic tour with a 5-0 victory over the Chinese women’s team at Cambridge, Mass.

Soccer

UCLA defeated fifth-ranked Portland, 1-0, in the first round of the NCAA women’s soccer tournament at Portland. It was the first playoff victory for the 12th-ranked Bruins (18-2-0).

Sophomore midfielder Beth Thompson scored in the 42nd minute. UCLA goalkeeper Lindsay Culp recorded her eighth shutout of the season. The Bruins play at Southern Methodist this weekend.

The UCLA men’s team won its third consecutive conference championship, defeating Mountain Division champion Stanford, 1-0, at UCLA’s Spaulding Field. It was the 300th career victory for UCLA Coach Sigi Schmid.

Miscellany

Prepo, the 5-2 second choice, rallied from last place to beat longshot Winter Quarters by a neck in the $100,000 Arcangues Handicap at Hollywood Park.

Ridden by Alex Solis, Prepo gained his second win in four starts since leaving Chile and joining trainer Ron McAnally’s barn at Santa Anita.

Doug Flutie threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score at Edmonton to lead Toronto to a 47-23 victory over Saskatchewan for its second consecutive Grey Cup, the championship of the Canadian Football League.

Craig Breedlove’s quest to return the land speed record to America is over for the year. Breedlove and his Spirit of America headed home after recent storms ruined conditions on the Black Rock Desert course north of Reno.