Destiny turns to harsh reality for Pete Sampras

A feeling of destiny turned to harsh reality for Pete Sampras who was poised to win his fifth U.S. Open only to be run over in the final for the second year in a row by a 20-year-old playing the match of his life.

The 30-year-old Grand Slam king appeared to have turned back the clock as he moved like a buzz saw through the tournament's last three champions -- Patrick Rafter, Andre Agassi and Marat Safin -- to reach his seventh U.S. Open final.

On the way, his vaunted serve reappeared as he went an amazing 87 service games without being broken from the second round through the semifinals.

But Sampras must have experienced a sickening sense of deja vu as Australian Lleyton Hewitt played a near flawless match, just as Safin had last year, to crush the four-times champion 7-6 6-1 6-1 in under two hours.

"I had a chance last year and a chance this year to possibly win here at the Open, but I just ran into two guys who were just on fire," a disappointed Sampras said after failing to add to his record 13 Grand Slam titles.

"Last year I just got overpowered. Today I just got outplayed," said Sampras, whose streak of years with at least one major title was halted at eight, leaving him tied for the record with Bjorn Borg.

"I just wish I could have given a better show for the people," he lamented as his title drought hit 18 tournaments.

Sampras said this year's loss was even more disappointing than last year's "because I worked so hard to get to the final.

"I got through some tough matches, beat some great players along the way," he said.

After playing one of the best matches of his storied career in an epic four-tiebreak win over Agassi in the quarter-finals -- one he called, "a great moment for tennis, a great moment for me" -- there was suddenly an aura of destiny about Sampras.

He started to feel it too after avenging last year's thrashing by Safin in Saturday's semifinal.

HARSH REALITY

"I was hoping a little bit of destiny might have come through for me here. But you have to go out there and compete and win the match," Sampras said.

"I'm sure as time goes by I'll reflect and feel good about what I did here, but only one name gets on that trophy and it's not mine and that's the harsh reality," he said.

Sampras was full of praise for his conqueror on a day in which Hewitt could do no wrong, making Sampras feel his age.

"You have to give a lot of credit to Lleyton the way he returned and passed, it was the best I've ever seen," said Sampras, who has faced nearly 300 different opponents over the course of his career.

"You know I've played 'em all and he's got the quickest first step in the game," Sampras said of the fleet-footed fierce competitor. "The kid is so quick it's unbelievable.

"Those legs, I wish I had those legs on this old guy," he said a bit wistfully. "You'll see him contending here for the next 10 years."

Sampras was easily able to put himself in Hewitt's shoes on the 11th anniversary of his own first Grand Slam triumph at the U.S. Open at the tender age of 19.

"It's a great feeling. When you're a young guy in your first Slam final you can just kind of go and play. Sometimes you play great and he played great today," Sampras said.

INSPIRING RUN

Despite coming up short after his inspiring run to the 2001 U.S. Open final -- picking off the sixth, second and third seeds along the way -- those who came to bury Sampras will be forced to praise him.

"Everyone was starting to write him off, especially after he lost in the round of 16 to (Roger) Federer at Wimbledon," Hewitt said.

"I think he's come out and proved a point over the last two weeks. He's still capable of winning Grand Slams, that's for sure. I've still got as much respect for him as I've ever had," added Hewitt.

"I think I've proven this week that I can still win Slams. There's no question in my mind," Sampras concurred.

"To have 13 is great. I'm very pleased that I have as many as I have but you know, 30 isn't that old," he insisted.

"There's always going to be younger, stronger, quicker players in all sports. As you get older it gets more difficult.

"But my game is still there. I look forward to coming back for many years."