Posted on: September 02nd, 2002
Pete wins over Greg Rusedski
- petepageSource: BBC online
Pete Sampras survived a five-set tussle with Greg Rusedski to reach the fourth round of the US Open 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 3-6 6-4
Last year's finalist looked to be heading towards defeat and the possibilty of dropping out of the world's top 50 when he lost the fourth set to a rampant Rusedski.
However, the American survived a rocky patch at the beginning of the fifth set and broke Rusedski in the very last game to seal victory.
Sampras, who had been unusually animated throughout the match, raised his arms and looked to the sky as a partisan crowd rose to applaud the 13-times Grand Slam champion.
He next faces Germany's Tommy Haas for a spot in the quarter-finals, and after a brave display will have nothing to fear from the third seed.
Rusedski and Sampras had first stepped on court on Sunday evening but only managed nine games before torrential rain forced them off for the night.
The tension and suspense survived the overnight break and, when the players finally got back on court on Monday evening after another day of rain, the action was fast and furious.
Resuming at 5-4 down, Sampras immediately held to love to level the set with some sharp serving and the pair headed into a tiebreak, which was clinched by the American with a pair of aces.
Rusedski, a finalist at Flushing Meadows in 1997 and seeded 33rd, hit right back, however, winning the second set 6-4 despite allowing his own mighty serve to be broken.
Two breaks of the Sampras serve made amends.
The next two sets mirrored the opening two - Sampras winning the third on a tiebreak and Rusedski pegging him back in the fourth, an early break enough to level the match.
The strain was showing on Sampras' face and even those at the back of the stands were left in no doubt how much this match meant to the 17th seed.
For years the most silent of assassins, Sampras' volleys, smashes and piledriver groundstrokes were now being delivered with an unfamiliar grunt of effort.
As roars of "Let's go Pete" rang around the floodlit arena, Sampras held serve with some weighty deliveries and smartly-placed volleys.
Rusedski looked no more fragile, though, whipping his left-handed deliveries down from his full 6 ft 4 ins frame.
It was not until the 10th game of the deciding set that the Briton wavered and that scrap of doubt was all Sampras needed to punish him.
Three rifled forehand passes gave the American match point and he clinched it on the first when Rusedski miscued.
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