Sampras beats Agassi to win fifth title

Reuters, New York

Defying the odds, age and fatigue Pete Sampras beat fellow tennis legend Andre Agassi 6-3 6-4 5-7 6-4 to win the US Open final on Sunday and claim an unprecedented 14th career grand slam.

Winless since Wimbledon 2000, Sampras ended a 33 tournament drought in storybook fashion.

Looking like the Pete Sampras of old rather than an old Pete Sampras, the 31-year-old American served with power and volleyed to perfection adding a fifth US Open title to his seven Wimbledon crowns and two Australian Open victories.

With the Sept. 11 anniversary just three days off and the "Heros flag" recovered from the rubble of the World Trade Center fluttering overhead, Sampras's win followed a victory by Serena Williams in Saturday's women's final capping off a patriotic feel good weekend for Americans.

Sixth seed Agassi forced Sampras to deuce in the fifth game of the first set but the 17th seed fought him off to edge ahead 3-2 as a shadow crept across the Arthur Ashe stadium court.

Agassi's third ace enabled him to level at 3-3 but Sampras unleashed his fastest serve of the championship in the next game, a 132 miles per hour ace.

Two sloppy forehand volley errors allowed Agassi a glimpse of hope, but Sampras slammed the door in his face with his eight ace in four service games.

Three huge forehands from Sampras rocked Agassi onto his heels in the eighth game and a deft chip and charge on the Agassi serve gave the 17th seed a break for 5-3.

He missed two set points and saved a break point with a second serve ace before punching a backhand volley into open space to clinch the set 6-3 in 29 minutes.

Sampras carried the momentum into the second set breaking Agassi at the first opportunity when the Las Vegan's backhand return sailed wide.

Serving with power and volleying to near perfection, Sampras went three service games without dropping a single point while Agassi continued to wobble.

The relentless pressure resulted in another break opportunity for Sampras in the seventh game and he would not squander the chance, surging ahead 5-2 when Agassi's normally deadly forehand return drifted long.

With Sampras serving for the set, Agassi went on the attack clawing back one break and holding to cut the deficit to 5-4.

After serving up 12 aces in the opening set, Sampras had just four in the second but two of those came while serving for the set, taking him to a 2-0 lead.

Looking weary from a four-set semi-final clash with world number one Lleyton Hewitt, Agassi dug into his reserves finally breaking Sampras to take the third set.

With the set headed towards a tie-break, the two tennis legends traded winners to the delight of the 23,000 spectators who erupted in a roar when Sampras forehand return caught the net giving Agassi a 7-5 victory and new life.

Playing his fifth match in seven days, fatigue also began to show on Sampras's face as the fourth set started.

But he managed to go up 5-4 and serve for the match.

With an end to his title drought in sight, Sampras raced to a 40-0 lead then closed out the match on his second opportunity with a crisp backhand volley that Agassi could only watch fall good.