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Sampras watches as US slips

The United States Davis Cup team was pushed to the brink of elimination by Australia after Friday's singles, with America's best player cheering from the sidelines by his own choice.

Pete Sampras, the world's top-ranked player the last six years, joined the squad in a rush of patriotic feeling after Todd Martin and Jim Courier clawed their way to an inspirational victory over Britain in the first round at Birmingham.

But he joined on one condition - that he be used only in doubles, so as not to grab a singles spot earned by Courier and Martin.

That noble notion can be admired, but it leaves US captain Tom Gullikson ripe for attack for fielding a losing team.

"I had to make a decison whether to bring Pete onto the team for doubles only, knowing I would be subject to second guessing," said Gullikson, "or not let him on the team at all."

Australian captain John Newcombe acknowledged the Gullikson dilemma.

"I probably wouldn't want to be in Gully's shoes if we win," Newcombe said after Thursday's draw.

An upset victory by 18-year-old Lleyton Hewitt over world No 8 Martin, and Patrick Rafter's routine dismissal of Courier put the Americans on the brink of elimination in the best-of-five quarter-final tie which marks the Centennial celebration of the team event.

Hewitt, ranked 32, cut Martin down to size with surprising ease in a 6-4, 6-7(1-7), 6-3, 6-0 upset victory in sweltering heat, while Rafter followed Hewitt's heroics with an efficient 7-6(7-5), 6-4, 6-4 dismissal of the US team's inspirational leader, Jim Courier.

"Some people don't seem to understand a principled decision," Gullikson said following Friday's defeats about Sampras's stance. "That's probably because they're not principled people."

Gullikson now hopes Sampras will help keep US hopes alive by prevailing in Saturday's doubles at Longwood Cricket Club with partner Alex O'Brien against Sandon Stolle and Mark Woodforde.

"We had a tough day today, but we're still breathing," he said. "We have a chance to win tomorrow and start to turn this around."

The United States, whose 31 Davis Cup titles is most by any country, will be bucking some heavy odds against turning it around against Australia, the second most successful Davis Cup nation with 26 championships.

In the 100 years of Davis Cup, the United States has only once overcome an 0-2 deficit to win a tie - in 1934 against Australia in the second round. The United States lost the other 28 times after dropping the first two matches.

UNI