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Pete Sampras – Marcelo Rios Exhibition Match (Chile)

Pete lost to Marcelo Rios 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (7) Regarding the duel with Sampras, Rios only had praises for his rival. “Here [in Chile] the guy took it as an exhibition and was very relaxed. When I played him in Brazil, I did not think he would reach such good level. It is like seeing him at his best moments. He still has his powerful and very good serve. The truth, he really impressed me very much.” “Seeing him play and facing him is very different The way he plays at 36, it is clear that the guy is from another level,” Rios said. Pete also praised Rios, “Marcelo played well. I lost some key points and he started serving better. At the end I did not … Read entire article »

Filed under: Archives 2003 to 2011

Sampras Hammers Rios to Claim First BlackRock Title

Pete Sampras hammered Marcelo Rios 6-2, 7-6(5) in the Sao Paulo final to win his first title on the BlackRock Tour of Champions. The American was giving away four years to Rios, but his serve would not have looked out of place at Wimbledon next week as he rushed through the opening set with breaks in the fifth and seventh games. In the second set, neither player could convert break-point chances and the set went to a tie-break which Sampras won to finish the match. “I’m very happy to finish the week with the title,” said Sampras, who hit 16 aces in the match. “I enjoyed playing here in front of this crowd in Brazil.” Rios was disappointed, but paid tribute to Sampras. “Pete is playing very good tennis and it was hard to … Read entire article »

Filed under: Archives 2003 to 2011

Sampras to Face Rios in Dream Final

The BlackRock Tour of Champions will stage the first ever meeting in a final between Pete Sampras and Marcelo Rios when they clash in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Sunday. Rios battled past Peru’s Jaime Yzaga 6-0, 7-5 on Saturday, while Sampras dismissed Thomas Muster 6-3, 6-2. It means the pair completed the round-robin stages of the event unbeaten, and something will have to give in the final of the Nossa Caixa Grand Champions Brazil. As well as the perfect conclusion to the event itself, it will also help to answer a few questions about what would have happened if they had met more often during their careers. When Rios reached the summit of tennis in 1998, the prospect of a thrilling rivalry with Sampras had beckoned. Rios, the most uniquely talented left-hander since John … Read entire article »

Filed under: Archives 2003 to 2011

Pete Sampras – A Grand Champion in Brazil

Pete Sampras wins his first trophy in the BlackRock Tour of Champion. Match Summary June 19: Pete Sampras def. Fernando Meligeni 6-3, 4-6, 10-6 (TB) June 20: Pete Sampras def. Marc Goellner 6-3, 6-4 June 21: Pete Sampras def. Thomas Muster 6-3, 6-2 June 22: Pete Sampras def. Marcelo Rios 6-2, 7-6 (5) Pete Sampras also dropped by Chile for the “Duel of the Masters” exhibition match against Marcelo Rios. The match was closely contested with the final set decided on a tiebreak. Score was 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (7) Related Links: New Archives, Pictures in Brazil, Pictures in Chile Tweet … Read entire article »

Filed under: News, Pete Sampras

Sampras Makes Winning Blackrock Debut

Pete Sampras needed all of his famed power, skill and experience to scrape past home favourite Fernando Meligeni and make a winning start to his BlackRock Tour of Champions career in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Thursday. Sampras and Meligeni came into the match with a career head-to-head of 1-1, and it was immediately clear that the American would have his work cut out in front of a partisan, capacity crowd at the WTC Golden Hall. The American broke Meligeni in the first game before holding serve to take the set 6-3, but Meligeni hit back to break the former Word No.1 at 2-2 in the second. With an ace, Meligeni closed out the second set 6-4. In the Champions’ Tie-break Sampras started strongly and quickly took a 7-3 lead, closing out the … Read entire article »

Filed under: Archives 2003 to 2011

Federer still the best – Sampras

Pete Sampras has dismissed suggestions that Roger Federer’s four-year dominance of tennis is on the wane. Seven-times Wimbledon winner Sampras believes Federer remains the man to beat despite the Swiss having won just two minor titles in 2008. And Sampras has backed Federer to win his sixth consecutive Wimbledon title. “He’s still the guy most likely to win the majors. He’s lost a couple but if anything that’ll do him some good, it’ll get him fired up,” said Sampras. “As great as Roger is he’s going to have his losses and his bad days, it’s just human nature to go through some lulls. “The media need a story and something to grab on to, like he’s lost his edge. He hasn’t lost his edge. “If he goes through the next few months and he’s losing … Read entire article »

Filed under: Archives 2003 to 2011