Rookie ends Sampras’ hopes for Wimbledon tide
WIMBLEDON, England — De
feated and dethroned, a somber
Pete Sampras lingered at his court
side chair, engulfed by cheers that
weren't for him.
With no trophy to collect, the
seven-time champion instead
picked up three sweaty towels,
stuffed them into his tennis bag and
slung it over his shoulder. Then,
head down, Sampras slowly fol
lowed Roger Federer toward the
exit, making his earliest departure
at Wimbledon in 10 years.
Federer showed his former idol
the door in a stunning upset Mon
day, winning 7-6 (7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-7
(2), 7-5. The fourth-round thriller
ended Sampras' remarkable reign
— at least for the moment.
"You know something so great is
n't going to last forever," Sampras
said. "Today I just came up a little
bit short."
Sampras had won 31 consecu
tive Wimbledon matches and 56 of
his last 57. The defeat, his first at
the All England Club since a quar
terfinal loss to Richard Krajicek in
1996, ended his bid for a record-ty
ing fifth consecutive title.
The result also marked a break
through for the 19-year-old Federer
in his Centre Court debut. The
Swiss youngster has been consid
ered a potential Grand Slam cham
pion since winning the Wimbledon
juniors title three years ago.
Sampras, who turns 30 next
month, hasn't won a tournament
since Wimbledon last year and has
n't reached a Grand Slam quarterfi
nal in 2001. The latest defeat will
be cited as further evidence of his
decline, but he dismissed the sug
gestion retirement might be near.
"Let's not get carried away," he
said. "I plan on being back for many
years. There's no reason to panic
and think that I can't come back
here and win here again. I feel like I
can always win here."
The departure of the top-seeded
Sampras creates an opening for An
dre Agassi, Patrick Rafter and Marat
Safin, who all advanced to the quar
terfinals. Wednesday's pairings are
set, excluding one unfinished fourth
round match. American Todd Mar
tin led Britain's Tim Henman 7-6 (3),
6-7 (5), 6-4 when play was suspend
ed because of darkness.
The winner will face the 15th-seed
ed Federer, suddenly a title threat. The
highest-seeded player left in his half of
the draw is Safin at No. 4.
Although 32 of the world's best
players were in action on a warm,
muggy day, there was little excite
ment until Sampras and Federer
took the court.
Sampras held a set point in the
opening tiebreaker, but Federer
erased it with a service winner. Sam
pras lost the set four points later
when he dumped an easy backhand
into the net, and the battle was on.
Wearing a bandanna and pony
tail, Federer looks nothing like
Sampras but plays with the same
stylish ease and seems comfortable
at the net, which is unusual for a
teenager. Much of the time the
Swiss youngster had the better
serve, and he confidently closed
out the third set with three consec
utive service winners and an ace
that kicked up chalk.
Sampras played his best tennis
in the final two sets, cranking
serves up to 136 mph and looking
like the champion of old at the net.
At 4-4 in the final set he held two
break points, but Federer erased one
with a volley and the other with a
sizzling forehand. That was Sam
pras' last chance to pull out a victory.
Serving in the final game, he mis
played two volleys and fell behind
15-40. Federer then cracked a return
winner — something he had done
repeatedly over the previous three
hours — and fell to his knees with
glee before keeling over onto the turf.
Soon he had tears in his eyes.
"This match will give me as much
confidence as I can get," Federer said.
"This is the biggest win of my life."
The Associated Press
Hiking
continued from page 5
up the closer butte. About a quar
ter mile into the hike, a trail junc
tion guides users to the different
options.
If you choose to approach Ea
gle’s Rest, watch out for mountain
bikers descending the trail. The
trail travels through rolling ter
rain for the first three to four
miles until it crosses Goodman
Creek, where it climbs rapidly to
ward Eagle’s Rest and becomes
too steep to bike. The trail even
tually joins the Hardesty Moun
tain Trail that starts at the trail
head for Mount June, also off
Highway 58 but farther west.
With a shuttle, this is a good way
to avoid the out-and-back nature
of the Goodman Creek Trail.
Overnight
For those with reliable trans
portation and a day or two to
spend, Central Oregon and the
playgrounds of the high desert are
two to three hours east of Eugene.
Smith Rock, about 30 miles
north of Bend on Highway 97, at
tracts climbers, hikers and moun
tain bikers year-round. There are
nearly 1,000 known rock-climbing
routes at Smith Rock, ranging in
difficulty from level 4 to 5.12.
With a desert climate and most
ly sunny weather, Smith Rock is
dry even when the Cascades are
soggy or snowed over.
Heavy use of Smith Rock has
forced park officials to create and
enforce an elaborate set of user
rules and regulations, as well as
collect day-use fees.
Not a climber? Fly fishers are at
tracted to the pristine Metolius
River, just east of Santiam Pass on
Highway 126. The area features a
trail that meanders along the river,
which provides fishers with excel
lent river access. When not too
heavily used, this is a welcome al
ternative to the commercial feel of
hatcheries.
Among many other Central
Oregon highlights, the Three Sis
ters Wilderness, with its
sparkling lakes and blooming
alpine meadows rising from the
tree line, should attract moun
taineers, campers and day hikers
alike.
The South Sister — the third
tallest peak in Oregon at 10,358
feet — is a 5.5-mile hike that is
easy for the inexperienced hiker.
The Middle and North Sisters
and Broken Top are more techni
Inge Scheve for the Emerald
Many fun and functional plants await those who venture past Eugene’s city limits for a hike along one of Oregon’s many trails.
cal to scale and require moun
taineering gear. Still, solo moun
taineers have ascended all these
peaks in one day.
When traveling in the back
country, everyone should carry
enough gear to survive bad
weather and unexpected experi
ences, no matter how short or
long the trip is. Necessary gear in
cludes: extra food and water, a
first-aid kit, matches in a sealed
container, warm clothes, a rain
coat, a water filter or purifier,
topographic maps, a compass and
a can opener.
All vehicles, as well as moun
tain bikes and motor boats, are
off-limits in wilderness areas.
Users need to buy trail passes,
which are available at any ranger
station, all U.S. Forest Service
stations and at several sporting
goods stores.
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