Re-Pete Is Not Possible at Open

Pete Sampras has done many things on the tennis court--dominated, created, dictated. So, the sight of the man recently voted the best player of the last 25 years being humiliated, while playing in a Grand Slam tournament no less, was remarkable.

Sampras had not lost a set before Tuesday night’s Australian Open quarterfinal against Karol Kucera of Slovakia. He had, in fact, been winning with his characteristic droning ease, and even his rivals were unable to construct a plausible scenario in which Sampras would be challenged on the way to his second consecutive title at Melbourne Park.

No one had counted on the unassuming Kucera, least of all Sampras. Playing in his first Grand Slam tournament quarterfinal, Kucera did the unthinkable: He outserved, out-thought and outlasted the No. 1 player in the world. The 20th-ranked Kucera advanced to the semifinals by defeating Sampras, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (7-5), 6-3.

“I give him all the credit in the world,” a shocked Sampras said. “But I wasn’t at my best. It was a bad day. He played the match of his life. He returned my serve about as well as anyone. The way he played, I really didn’t expect it. He really put a lot of pressure on me. He served much better than I thought. He really came ready to play.”

Kucera, 23, is coached by former top-10 player Miloslav Mecir. And the man they called “Big Cat” prepared his charge perfectly. Kucera won two tuneup tournaments before the Australian Open.

Kucera handled Sampras’ potent serve with great skill, either turning the serve’s power back onto Sampras or avoided him altogether with lashing passing shots.

Not only did Kucera outserve Sampras with 18 aces, but Sampras could only manage seven aces. Considering that Sampras’ game lives and dies by the potency of his serve, his eventual demise came as little surprise.

The highly charged night match on center court began with Kucera’s sizzling start. In little more than an hour, Sampras was back on his heels, staring at a two-sets-to-none deficit. Four times before in his career Sampras had come from two sets to love to win. He did it in consecutive matches here in 1995.

Even that knowledge was little comfort, given the level Kucera had attained.

“I dug myself a hole, I didn’t like the position I was in,” Sampras said. “I wasn’t just going to let this guy roll over me. But no excuse, I went for a lot and made a lot of errors. That’s the way I played. I got a little impatient out there, missed some shots. But the forehand was a little bit inconsistent. It was going all over the place.”

Sampras’ groundstrokes seldom fail him, but his almighty forehand--his classic stroke--would not do his bidding. He made 28 unforced errors on the forehand side, 46 in all.

He lifted his game in the third set and, having won the tiebreaker, uncharacteristically exhorted the crowd to get rowdy. It did, supporting the defending champion steadfastly, even as the poker-faced Kucera dug in for the long haul.

The long haul turned out to be 31 additional minutes of play.

To Sampras’ great consternation, chair umpire Lars Graff called an overrule, giving Kucera match point. Sampras had earlier bantered with Graff after questioning a call, telling him, “I’m watching you.” Just to show there were some hard feelings, Sampras chose not to shake the umpire’s hand afterward.

The loss is a setback for Sampras on his quest to break Roy Emerson’s record of 12 Grand Slam tournament titles. He considers the four Grand Slam tournaments “what it’s all about for me” and has altered his schedule, pruning what he considers extraneous events--among them Davis Cup--to concentrate on the majors. Sampras has won 10 Grand Slam tournament titles.

His timetable is now ratcheted back. Only if Sampras wins the three remaining Grand Slam tournament titles this year will he surpass Emerson. That would require Sampras to do something he has never done--win on the slow red clay at the French Open.

After his disappointing loss in the fourth round of the U.S. Open to end last season, Sampras has been stewing. The loss here was made more difficult to accept because of the untouchable level Sampras maintained in the first week.

“It’s hard to accept, because these are the matches that I’ve come through in the past,” Sampras said. “I thought I was in a good position to win here, I was playing well. I just got outplayed. It will take a while, but I’ll get over it.”