Pete Sampras' hopes of retaining his Wimbledon crown ended in sensational style as he was beaten in five sets by Swiss teenager Roger Federer this evening. The American lost 7-6 5-7 6-4 6-7 7-5 in an absorbing match played in muggy conditions on Centre Court in what is one of the biggest surprises in recent Wimbledon history.
Sampras, holder of a record 13 Grand Slam titles, couldn't hide his disappointment after the match, and admitted: "I am very disappointed. I lost to a really, really good player today. He's definitely got a great future. It wasn't to be. I came up a little bit short."
Federer, seeded 15th and 10 years Sampras' junior at 19, showed little respect for the top seed in his Centre Court debut and their first ever meeting. He served superbly and was equally impressive returning serve and coming to the net as he set about dismantling his more illustrious opponent's game from the start. He took the first set after a tiebreak, and established a 2-1 advantage when he took the third 6-4. However, Sampras, holder of a record 13 Grand Slam titles, levelled the match with convincing tiebreak winner in the fourth to set up a tense climax.
Sampras, going for his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title, had two break points at 4-4 in the deciding set but was unable to convert them. Federer earned two match points on Sampras' serve in the twelfth game and won the match on the first with a forehand service return down the line. Federer will now meet either Tim Henman or American Todd Martin in the last eight.
Meanwhile, Lleyton Hewitt joined Sampras on the exit trail as he fell to French 24th seed Nicolas Escude 4-6 6-4 6-3 4-6 6-4 on Court Two. It was a stunning upset for the 20-year-old Hewitt, who came into Wimbledon on a roll with back-to-back grass court titles at Queen's and Den Bosch including morale-boosting wins over Pete Sampras and Tim Henman.
Hewitt took command, as expected, in the first set which he won 6-4, but gradually the momentum swung in the second as the more aggressive style of the Frenchman began to dominate as he took the next two sets. Hewitt then levelled in a desperately close fourth, but with mistakes becoming more and more frequent in Hewitt's game, Escude reeled off five games in a row with breaks in the third and fifth as his confidence soared.
However, Hewitt refused to lie down and die and broke serve again to get back to 5-4. And he took the match in sensational style moving to 40-0 before wrapping it up when Hewitt flayed a despairing forehand into the net.
Finally, fading light brought a premature end to Tim Henman's fourth round clash with Todd Martin, with the British number one trailing by two sets to one. Martin was leading 7-6 6-7 6-4 when they were pulled off as night fell on SW17, with Henman well short of his best form as he looked like joining compatriot Greg Rusedski on his way out of the All England Championships.
Filed by Shane Murray
