Haas extends Sampras' winless streak to 16 tournaments
August 26, 2001
Tommy Haas beat Pete Sampras 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 in the finals of the Hamlet Cup on Sunday, extending Sampras' winless streak to 16 tournaments.
The sixth-seeded Haas, who finished with 15 aces, beat Sampras for the first time in five matches on hardcourt. He beat Sampras on clay in Dusseldorf in May 2000.
Haas won 40 of 50 first-point serves as compared to 31 of 41 for Sampras.
The victory was the second of the year and third in the career of the 23-year-old German, who earned $54,000. The third-seeded Sampras, a wild card into the tournament, picked up $31,500.
"It was a great way to win a tournament, beating a player like Pete,'' Haas said. ``I've been serving well all week and hope to do the same in the U.S. Open.
"My goal is the third or fourth round. In 1999, I got to the fourth round and that was my best showing.''
Sampras, who has a record 13 Grand Slam titles and 63 career victories overall, lauded Haas.
"Give him credit,'' Sampras said. ``He served well. I played a loose game. I had only six aces, and you can't do that on a fast court.''
Sampras, competing in his third final this year, has not won a tournament since Wimbledon in 2000. He claimed to be satisfied with his game heading into this week's U.S. Open.
"I'm ready for the U.S. Open,'' he said. ``My body feels good, and I played pretty well the whole week. I needed matches, and I hit my stride. I'm satisfied.''
Haas took a 2-1 lead and closed out the first set with an ace. Sampras had 11 unforced errors.
Sampras had two breaks and charged out to a 4-1 lead en route to winning the second set.
Haas took charge in the third set, breaking in the second game and moving
out to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage.
Source: AP
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