Pete Sampras lost his first Grand Slam final since the spring of 1995 as Marat Safin produced a dazzling display to win the US Open title at Flushing Meadows. Russian Safin, who considered quitting the game last year as his form dipped, looks to have made the right decision to carry on as he picked up the year's final Grand Slam with a 6-4 6-3 6-3 victory. Not only is the 20-year-old the youngest winner of the Flushing Meadows crown since Sampras took the title as a 19-year-old 10 years ago, he is also the first Russian to lift the title.
Safin's serve has long been known as his principle weapon, and although it played a major part in his win, his return was similarly stunning and gave Sampras no end of problems. Fourth-seeded Sampras was forced to make so many half-volleys as he raced to the net, allowing Safin to make a succession of winners. He made only 12 unforced errors in the whole match - a remarkable feat backed up by 36 winners and 12 aces. A single break earned the Russian the first set, and he broke in the seventh and ninth games of the second as Sampras crumbled. He was handed the second set as Sampras' served a double fault on set point, and opened up a 3-0 lead in the third with some extraordinary hitting.
But Safin, who began the year with five straight defeats on the Tour, knew he had the beating of Sampras after a win en route to lifting the Montreal Masters Series last month. He also lifted titles in Barcelona and Mallorca - as well as reaching finals at Hamburg and Indianapolis - this year and was the main player in the clay court season. But his awesomely powerful game lends itself more to the hardcourt game, and despite several flashes of Sampras genius in the third set, Safin's incredible desire to win took him through.
At 5-3 and serving in the third, Sampras held two break points, but despite being willed on by the huge crowd on the Arthur Ashe court could take neither and Safin secured the $800,000 (£550,000) winners' cheque with a thrusting, yet elegant crosscourt backhand. Safin sunk to his knees and kissed the court, overwhelmed by his achievement, before being called up to collect his reward, freely admitting he had never played so well. "Never in my life," he said, before receiving the winners' trophy and cheque. "I don't know how (I won). I only remember the last game. I was lucky. In the end I served quite well, but I'm a winner."
Sampras, who had been blown away in his first ever Grand Slam final straight sets defeat, congratulated the opponent who had made his game look inadequate over the previous one hour and 38 minutes. "I give him all the credit in the world," he said. "He played so well. I was trying my hardest but - Marat - he was too good. Anytime you can serve 130 miles per hour on the line - you're too good. He passed and returned as well as anyone I've ever played." (PA)
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
