NEW YORK. Sept 8: World number-one and defending champion Pete Sampras choked away one match point and wasted three more on Saturday before defeating Goran Ivanisevic in four sets to reach the US Open final, report agencies.
Despite the hiccough. Sampras beat the fourth-seeded Croatian 6-3. 6-4. 6-7 (9/11). 6-3 to keep alive his hope of winning his first Grand Slam title of the year.
In tne final hell face second -seeded compatriot Michael Chang, who defeated sixth -seeded fellow American Andre Agassi 6-3. 6-2. 6-2.
Sampras won the first two sets in just 59 minutes. The MiMl .Mt want Fljh sews tf» fle-breaKer. and Sampras looked like wrapping things up quickly when he took a 6-3 lead with his service to come.
First Ivanisevic beat him with a two-handed passing shot. Then Sampras double faulted.
He hit a forehand long to let Ivanisevic knot the score at 6-6. then Ivanisevic hit a running forehand winner to #ve himself a set point.
Sampras saved that with an ace. then Ivanisevic netted a service return to give Sampras a fourth match point, which Ivanisevic saved with a volley winner for 8-8
Sampras saved one more set point with an ace for 9-9 before Ivanisevic finally put together Iwo points In a row
The first couple of games in the fourth set. I couldn't believe I was still there. Sampras said.
"I wasn t mad at myself I was a little bit rattled I couldn t believe what was happening ” Sampras finally got a deci sive break for 5 3 in the fourth and served out lor the match Ivanisevic, who had made it past the fourth round of the US Open for the first Urne in eight attempts, said he couldn t have done any more.
1 gave everything I could and It was not enough said Ivanisevic who served 30 aces but couldn t convert any ol his
three break chances
hang’s progress past a lack lustre Agassi was smooth as glass
Today things Just really seemed to click for me Chang said Tve been playing some of my best tennis throughout the tournament and things really
tell into plac e today " liesplte his number two seed
mg Chang said he felt like an underdog against the sixth Keded Agassi who has two runner-up finishes here to go with his victory in 1994
Even though Andre has dropped in the rankings 1
think I was the underdog.” Chang said.
"He’s won here and he has a winning record against me. I think that made me more relaxed. "
Chang clinched victory with his 16th ace. but Agassi said it was his inability to punish Changs second serve that really cost him the match.
"If I could have hurt his second serve early in the match, that would have had a big im pact on his service games.
"I felt fiat, he said. "I missed a lot of second serve returns. I felt like I was 40 per cent of the player that 1 have been. I never found my game.
The irony there is that Agassi had been searching for his game all year and thought it haf been located in the Olympics, where he won the gold medal. On Saturday, at a most crucial time, it vanished again.
Agassi has been on a up-and down ride all year.
He played well in the Australian Open and at San Jose. California, then struggled, losing to ordinary players like Luke Jensen at Memphis. Tennessee. Alberto Costa at Monte Carlo. Chris Woodruff in the French Open. Doug Flach at Wimbledon and Patrick Rafter at Washington.
Then In the Olympics, he swept to the gold medal, adding a new dimension to a career that already boasts three Grand Slam wins He used the momentum from Atlanta to win a fol low up tournament in Cincln nati and seemed on top of his game at the Open
And then In Saturday’s semifinals, nothing.
"Not a great year." he said. Olympic gold has added to my career I can’t feel bad about this year based on that alone That doesn t mean that 1 don't feel I should have had a better year I wanted to do much better In tire Slam* '
Agassi reached the semis at Australia but wa* out of the French Open in the second round ana eliminated at Wimbledon in the first The US Open was a significant improvement, lait lie was not able to sustain It.