Sampras Mission Misfires

The pre-Wimbledon focus switched dramatically from London to Germany yesterday where Pete Sampras, desperately seeking any kind of form to settle his increasingly frayed nerves, was beaten 6-3, 6-4 by Nicolas Kiefer in the second round of the Gerry Weber Open at Halle. Sampras, a forlorn figure, had won his three previous matches against the 24-year-old German whose own form has been so wretched that prior to this week he had fashioned only four victories on the ATP Tour this year.

Sampras refused a wild card for the Stella Artois tournament here at Queen's, perhaps believing that a change of venue might turn his luck. Since winning his seventh Wimbledon two years ago, and with it a record 13th grand slam title, he has failed to capture a trophy. His first-round defeat by Italy's Andrea Gaudenzi in the French Open was no surprise but most had expected some sort of resurgence once he swapped clay for grass.

Yet such is Sampras's Wimbledon record - two defeats in the last nine years - that none of his opponents, least of all Tim Henman, is prepared to cast a single grass-court clipping in his direction. "I'm sure it's not what he would have wanted but I don't think it will have any relevance for Wimbledon," said Henman, who looked far sharper yesterday when he reached the quarter-finals here with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over the 19-year-old Amer- ican novice Robby Ginepri.

No player wants to suggest Sampras is finished even if the evidence is increasingly compelling. The Sampras serve, which for a decade has been the most formidable single weapon in modern tennis, is on the wane and no longer feared. The American, who now cannot command a place in the world's top 10, has practised long and hard to halt the slide but with only limited effect.

"I know how hard he has worked and tried to change things and I'm a great believer that hard work pays off in time," said Henman, although he admitted that Sampras's current dilemma "goes to show that it sometimes doesn't work out". Nobody wishes to see a great champion struggle but, should he fail at Wimbledon and then the US Open, where he was thrashed in the final by Australia's Lleyton Hewitt last year, it may be time for Sampras to pack his rackets.

Hewitt, like Henman, reached the quarter-finals with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Belgium's Olivier Rochus. Henman and Hewitt are seeded to meet in Sunday's final, a repeat of last year when the Australian No1 won 7-6, 7-6 for his second consecutive Stella title.