APWire
Sampras struggles but wins in first round of French
By sieve wnstein
The Associated Press
PARIS — For 4 hours and 18
minutes, Pete Sampras played as
if he were trapped in a movie
montage of his ugliest and longest
matches.
He muttered and sputtered, let
ting his mind drift back to the way
he survived so many other brutal
five setters. Matches when he was
sick and cramped and barely able
to stand, his racquet serving as a
crutch between points.
Then he won once again, shuf
fling away caked in red clay.
“It’s ‘Welcome to Paris,’ I
guess,” Sampras said after taking
his first-round match Tuesday
against Juan Antonio Marin 6-7 (5
7), 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (11-9), 6-4 at the
French Open.
“How did I survive it? Grace of
God, I guess,” he said.
Sampras did everything he
could to blow this match, includ
ing double-faulting on match
point in the fourth-set tiebreaker,
but then he did everything he
could to win it on wobbly legs in
the fifth.
“It was just pure will, just hang
ing in there and fighting hard,” he
.said. “I wasn’t going to stop, by
any means. When it’s in the fifth
set, it comes down to heart and
how much you want it.”
Sampras wants to win his first
French Open in the worst way,
and that s just how he started out.
He was determined to play true to
his own attacking style, but he
found himself becoming tentative
against the clay-loving Marin and
too often got caught in the no
man’s land between the baseline
and the net.
Marin, a 5-foot-9 Costa Rican
who had lost all seven of his previ
ous Grand Slam matches and was
ranked No. 92, displayed a knack
for keeping the ball in play and
frustrating Sampras. Never did
that come in handier than when
Sampras held the first of his two
match points at 8-7 in the fourth
set tiebreaker.
Sampras drove a forehand
crosscourt into the corner that
looked like a solid winner to
everyone except Marin.
“Pete thought I was not going to
get to that ball,” Marin said. “All
the crowd also, because they
shouted like the match was over. I
got to that ball, and I run to the oth
er side because I know I have to.”
Surprised as Sampras was, he
whacked another shot the other
way, only to see Marin track that
down, too, with what he called,
with no exaggeration, “an unbe
lievable backhand” down the line
that Sampras couldn’t touch. In
stead, Sampras lunged and tum
bled to the court, lay sprawled for
a long moment, then sat up with
the back of his white shirt, shorts
and socks covered in red.
Marin raised his hands in tri
umph as the crowd roared, and he
would have more reason to cele
brate a few points later. Serving for
the match at 9-8, Sampras double
faulted, then Marin swiped the set
with the help of two big fore
hands.
Sampras wasn’t too concerned
about most of his 14 double-faults,
though that one hurt.
“It depends on the time of the
double-fault,” he said. “Match
point isn’t recommended.”
But when it came down to the
fifth set, with the match already 3
1/2 hours old and evening shad
ows blanketing the court, Sampras
had a familiar feeling. He’d been
down this road many times, win
ning 26 of his 36 previous five-set
ters. He remembered digging out a
match, even when he was sick and
vomiting, against Alex Corretja in
the 1996 U.S. Open. He remem
bered how he suffered with
cramps but won three other five
setters at the French Open the
same year.
He would just have to find a
way to do it again.
“Sure, when you’re in the fifth
set you think of matches you
played,” he said. “You know how
to conserve energy. When it’s a big
point, you push hard. If it’s 40
love, there’s no sense in killing
yourself. Experience always
Nets reportedly pursuingThompson
By Tom Canavan
The Associated Press
NEWARK, N.J. — While for
mer Georgetown coach John
Thompson is interested in the
prospect of coaching in the NBA,
the New Jersey Nets’ interest in
him caught him off guard.
During his daily radio program
on Tuesday morning, Thompson
said he has not spoken with the
Nets about the job now being
held by Don Casey on an interim
basis nor does he have knowl
edge that his agent, David Falk,
talked to the team about it.
The Record of Hackensack re
ported in its Tuesday editions
that the Nets have talked with
Thompson about coaching, and
principal owner Lewis Katz is
ready to confer with the former
Georgetown coach’s agent.
However, the newspaper said
the Nets’ No. 1 choice is Phil
Jackson and they have offered
the former Chicago Bulls coach
what is described as one of the
richest contracts in the history of
sports.
Thompson was not turned off
by the Nets’ interest.
“What I have found very inter
esting is that David Falk is talk
ing to the New Jersey Nets for
John Thompson. Well, I hope
they send me a telegram and let
me know of it. I’ll take the job,”
he told listeners to his “Time Out
with Thompson” show on
WTEM.
Katz was to meet with Falk on
Tuesday to discuss the kind of
deal it would take to hire
Thompson, the Record reported,
using a source it described as
close to the situation.
Nets spokesman John Mertz
said the team would neither con
firm nor deny that a meeting took
place. “We are not going to dis
cuss the names of any potential
candidates,” Mertz said. “Don
Casey was announced as a candi
date at the start of the search and
he is the only candidate we will
confirm.”
A spokeswoman for Falk did
not address the Nets’ coaching
situation on Tuesday but said the
agent has periodic discussions
with team owners. Falk repre
sents three of the Nets’ best play
ers — Stephon Marbury, Keith
Van Horn and Kerry Kittles.
“He has had discussions with
the Nets, and those discussions
can and will remain private,’’
said Alyson Sadofsky, Falk’s di
rector of public relations.
The Nets, who fired John Cali
pari in March after losing 17 of
20 games in this lockout-short
ened season, are reportedly mov
ing to the next level in their dis
cussions with Thompson
because ownership believes Jack
son ultimately will end up with
the New York Knicks or Los An
geles Lakers
Thompson, 57, resigned from
Georgetown on Jan. 8 after lead
ing the Hoyas’ program for 26
seasons. He cited personal rea
sons for leaving but added he
was not retiring from coaching.
United, Bayern kick for soccer championship
By Nesha Starcevic
The Associated Press
BARCELONA, Spain — Two of
the biggest clubs in European soc
cer end their long waits Wednes
day for another shot at the conti
nent’s most prestigious prize.
When Manchester United and
Bayern Munich meet in the
Champions Cup final at Camp
Nou stadium, each will be chas
ing a rare triple — and the one
victory it really wants.
“These are absolutely the two
top teams in Europe right now,”
Bayern Munich midfielder Stefan
Effenberg said. “But only if we
win Wednesday can we call our
selves true champions.”
Manchester United last won
the cup in 1968, with a lineup
that included George Best and
Bobby Charlton. Charlton scored
twice, Best and Brian Kidd added
one goal apiece and United beat
Benfica Lisbon 4-1 in overtime.
Bayern’s 1-0 win over St. Eti
enne in 1976 was its third Cham
pions Cup win in a row and the
last major trophy won by Franz
Beckenbauer, Gerd Mueller & Co.
Neither club won its national ti
tle last season, but qualified for
the expanded Champions League.
If they were below par last season,
the two European powers have
been outstanding this year.
Both have won their league ti
tles, and Manchester United
added the Football Association
Cup to move within one victory of
becoming the first English club to
win all three in the same season.
It also would be the first Eng
lish club since Liverpool in 1984
to win the Champions Cup. Eng
fish clubs were excluded form Eu
ropean cup tournaments after
deadly riots between Liverpool
and Juventus fans at the 1985 cup
final in Belgium.
“It’s significant,” Manchester
manager Alex Ferguson said.
‘‘The English teams in the 1980s
were fantastic and you could say
they dominated the competition,
really. I think we’ve progressed to
that level and we’re as good as
any English team that has been
here before. So that must give us a
great chance to change the pat
tern.”
Bayem is one step behind Unit
ed in the triple crown chase — it
still has to play the German Cup
final June 12.
United has not lost in 32 games
and is averaging 3.05 goals a
game, getting sparkling play from
star wingers David Beckham and
Ryan Giggs and strikers Dwight
Yorke and Andy Cole.
helps. The longer the match goes,
the better I feel about my chances.
You believe in yourself that you
can kind of come through, and I
did today.”
As relieved as he was to win,
Sampras knows that a five-setter
to start off the tournament doesn’t
bode well for his chances to win
the one major that has eluded him.
‘‘It’s never good to play 4 1/2
hours in the first round,” he joked.
‘‘But I’m still alive.”
The top women had a far easier
time than Sampras. Steffi Graf,
Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport
and Mary Pierce all advanced
with no trouble. Also winning was
Jennifer Capriati, just days after
she won her first title in more than
six years.
Graf, a five-time champion at
the French, was making her 16th
appearance at Roland Garros,
where she hasn’t lost before the
quarterfinals in her last 12 tries.
She skipped the French Open last
year because of an injury.
After beating Magdalena Malee
va 6-2, 6-0, Graf said she isn’t yet
certain she can regain the form
that brought her 21 career Grand
Slam titles.
“I think I can, you know,” she
said. ‘‘I probably just need to be
lieve in it a little more.”
Seles, seeded third and a three
time winner at the French, won 6
2,6-4 against Fang Li of China.
Asked about last year’s loss in
the final to Arantxa Sanchez Vic
ario, she said, “Thank goodness
my memory is not long. That day
was very difficult. I tried to learn
from it.”
Davenport, seeded second,
made easy work of fellow Ameri
can Jane Chi, winning 6-3, 6-1.
Capriati also won easily with a 6
2.6- 3 victory over Virginia Ruano
Pascal of Spain. Anna Kourniko
va beat Tamarine Tanasugam of
Thailand 6-3,6-3.
With an affectionate crowd be
hind him, former French Open
champion Gustavo Kuerten pow
ered his way into the second
round with a straight-sets victory
over Galo B lanco of Spain.
Kuerten has been having the
best year on clay of anyone on the
tour, and it showed in his method
ic victory, with sharp ground
strokes punctuated by delicate
drop shots.
“It couldn’t have been better to
day,” Kuerten said after his 6-4,6
4.6- 3 win. “I played my best ten
nis, and everybody is treating me
so well.”
In other men’s play, No. 3 Patrick
Rafter beat Switzerland’s Roger
Federer 5-7, 6-3, 6-0, 6-2, while
Aussie compatriot Mark Philip
poussis lost to countryman Jason
Stoltenberg 7-6 (7-4), 6-4,6-1.
After early release,
Tyson ready for ring
By Tim Dahlberg
The Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — The news
just keeps getting better for
Mike Tyson.
A day after Tyson’s early re
lease from a Maryland jail,
Nevada boxing officials indi
cated Tuesday they won’t do
anything to stand in the way of
his return to the ring.
That could come as early as
Aug. 21, with a possible fight in
Las Vegas against the likes of
Axel Schulz or Brian Nielsen.
“Aug. 21 is certainly a date
we’re looking at,” said Jay
Larkin, who runs boxing for the
Showtime network. “Hopefully
in the next couple of days we’ll
have something concrete.”
Tyson’s advisers and handlers,
caught off-guard by his sudden
release from jail Monday, were
scrambling to make arrange
ments to get the fighter back in
the ring as quickly as possible.
Those plans may have been
made easier by indications that
Nevada boxing officials won’t
use Tyson’s no-contest plea
that landed him in a Maryland
jail against him or hold another
hearing on his suitability to box
in the state.
Tyson won a license in Octo
ber after extensive hearings to
replace the one taken from him
for biting Evander Holyfield’s
ears.
“My feeling is that he has a
license,” said Dr. James Nave,
vice chairman of the Nevada
Athletic Commission. “I don’t
see the need for a hearing.”
Tyson, whose last fight was
a fifth round knockout of Fran
cois Botha on Jan. 16, had his
comeback interrupted when he
was jailed in Maryland for as
saulting two motorists follow
ing a traffic accident.
He served 3 1/2 months of a
year-long sentence before be
ing released on parole.
“We all agreed that while
Mike Tyson was in jail, we
wouldn’t make any plans for
his fights,” Larkin said. “Now,
he’s been out only 24 hours
and we just haven’t gotten to
that point yet. But we’re going
to start right now.”
Adding to the sense of ur
gency to get Tyson back into
the ring is the fact that his ad
visers want him to fight twice
this year. And, because prime
pay-per-view dates in Septem
ber and November are already
blocked out because of two big
fights, the options for fight
dates are limited.
Oscar De La Hoya and Felix
Trinidad are expected to fight
on pay-per-view on Sept. 18,
while Holyfield and Lennox
Lewis meet on Nov. 13 in their
rematch on pay-per-view.
That leaves Tyson with the
option of fighting in August
and again in December. An al
ternative, though, could be for
Tyson’s fight to be a network
show and not a pay-per-view,
something his handlers are
also reportedly considering.
The thinking behind putting a
Tyson fight on Showtime itself or
even selling it to a major network
is that it would be tough to sell
Tyson again in a fight against
someone similar to Botha.
The 32-year-old Tyson
looked rusty and confused in
the ring against Botha in what
was his first fight in 19 months
since the Holyfield biting inci
dent. Plans before he was sent
to jail were for him to fight at
least four times this year, and
there is concern about what
kind of boxing shape and con
dition he will be in.