Sampras Can’t Shake Slump
Pete Sampras’ two-year slide reached another low Monday, when he lost to Chilean qualifier Fernando Gonzalez, 7-6 (1), 6-1, in the third round of the Nasdaq-100 Open at Key Biscayne, Fla.
The upset made it 24 tournaments in a row without a title for Sampras since he won a record seventh Wimbledon championship in July 2000.
Gonzalez, perhaps the hardest hitter on the men’s tour, dominated after falling behind, 4-1, in the first set. Sampras, often late reaching volleys, won only 22 of 48 points at the net and struggled with his service returns.
“It wasn’t a good day. I got outplayed,” Sampras said. “I just have to get back to work and not panic, and look at the big picture and the rest of the year.”
In women’s play, the Williams sisters moved within one round of a semifinal showdown, which would be their first meeting since Venus beat Serena in last year’s U.S. Open final.
No. 2-seeded Venus hit 26 winners to two for Amanda Coetzer and won, 6-2, 6-0, in 44 minutes. No. 8 Serena swept Marissa Irvin, 6-1, 6-4.
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
