End of Reign Might Be in Forecast

Within the next seven days, barring rain delays, we will learn whether Pete Sampras has justified the No. 1 seeding he received despite not having won a tournament since last year’s Wimbledon. Based on his performance during the first week at the All England Club, many experts predict that he will not.

No consensus has been formed as to who might become the first Wimbledon men’s champion other than Sampras since 1996 and only the second since 1992. Andre Agassi, Pat Rafter, Tim Henman, Lleyton Hewitt and even two unseeded players remaining, Greg Rusedski and Goran Ivanisevic, have supporters.

For the women, the only thing changed since the beginning of the tournament last Monday is that top-seeded Martina Hingis is no longer a contender, having lost in the first round. The winner still figures to come from among the Williams sisters, Lindsay Davenport or Jennifer Capriati.

Or not.

“Everything is open,” Ivanisevic says. “I always say in the second week of a Grand Slam, this first tournament is over and now the second one starts. Now anybody can win.”

One thing for sure, barring rain delays, is that fourth-round play begins Monday for men and women.

Matches to watch:

Sampras vs. No. 15 Roger Federer: After Sampras was pushed to five sets in the second round by 265th-ranked Barry Cowan of England, the analysts questioned whether the reign of perhaps Wimbledon’s greatest champion is finished.

John McEnroe: “I keep saying the law of averages--sooner or later, he has to lose--and there is a group of guys who are begging for it. Somehow, I think he is going to have something to say about that. But he certainly played, for him, mediocre and, to be honest, it’s not going to be easy for him this year.”

Jim Courier: “You know he’s going to run into someone in the second week who’s going to get super hot, who is going to have a little more game than Barry Cowan has. . . . He’s going to have to be a different Pete Sampras to get through.”

Martina Navratilova: “I just wonder if he is getting to that time of life when you are still trying hard and it is just not quite happening.”

Federer, 19, a former Wimbledon junior champion, might not be aggressive enough yet as a serve returner or in following up his own serve but has upset potential.

Ivanisevic vs. Rusedski: “Very, very exciting,” Ivanisevic says. “You know, 15-love, 30-love, 40-love, game, 15-love, 30-love, 40-love, game.”

He is referring to the fact that neither will probably be able to return the other’s serve. Rusedski, who has the fastest recorded serve of all time at 149 mph, served at 139 last week. Ivanisevic’s fastest last week was only 131. But he had 98 aces in three matches, 29 more than the next man, Sampras, and 42 more than Rusedski.

But, actually, it could be very exciting. Ivanisevic’s record against Rusedski is 8-0. “But matches always finish, 7-6, 7-6,” Ivanisevic says.

No. 6 Henman vs. No. 23 Todd Martin: Martin and Courier played villains when they led the United States to a 3-2 Davis Cup victory over England--with Henman and Rusedski--in Birmingham, England, two years ago.

Martin lost to Henman in four sets in the reverse singles but, even though he’s one of the nicest players on the tour, says he enjoys the role. He will play it again in front of a Center Court crowd that has come down with its annual case of Henmania. There apparently is no cure.

No. 3 Davenport vs. No. 14 Jelena Dokic: This is a rematch of last year’s semifinals, which Davenport won, 6-4, 6-2.

Davenport, champion in 1999, was sidelined for three months this year because of a knee injury and seemed like a potential upset victim at Wimbledon until she won the final tuneup tournament at Eastbourne.

“Coming off my knee injury, I haven’t felt like it’s slowed me down at all the last two weeks,” she says. “We’ll see. Obviously, these are much bigger tests coming up this week. But I have no reason to feel unconfident going in there.”

Dokic upset Hingis in the first round two years ago.

No. 4 Capriati vs. No. 15 Sandrine Testud and No. 5 Serena Williams vs. No. 12 Magdalena Maleeva: These matches don’t necessarily promise much drama. But, if Capriati and Williams win, they will meet in Tuesday’s quarterfinals in the most anticipated match so far.