Sampras, Agassi Storm Through
L O N D O N, July 3 -- Defending champion Pete Samprasresumed normal service at Wimbledon on Monday, crushing Sweden’sJonas Bjorkman 6-3 6-2 7-5 to reach the quarterfinals.
Andre Agassi — second seed and last year’s runner-up -— stayed on track to meet him in Sunday’s final, beating Germany’s David Prinosil in equally convincing fashion 6-4 6-3 6-3.
In Wednesday’s quarters, Agassi will face 10th seed MarkPhilippoussis after the Australian extinguished hopes of a homevictory by beating eighth seed Tim Henman 6-1 5-7 6-7 6-3 6-4.
Sampras is yet to meet a seed in four rounds and could wellmake it to the final after playing only unseeded players.
Not since John McEnroe 19 years ago has a men’s championplayed a seed for the first time in the final.
Sampras’s next opponent is fellow American Jan-MichaelGambill who beat Thomas Enqvist of Sweden, the last seed left inSampras’s half of the draw, 7-6 6-3 6-3 6-4.
A painful leg injury had threatened the American’s bid for aseventh title in eight years last week, but it was not thewounded bear of Saturday but the Sampras of old who prowledCentre Court against Bjorkman.
Trademark Jumps
The top seed crashed down 17 aces, pulverised the ball onboth sides of the court and showed off his trademark jumps — asure sign Sampras’s game has returned to near 100 percentefficiency — to smash anything high and loose.
“I felt better about the way I played today. I had moreenergy,” Sampras said afterward. “The injury is sore, butit’s OK and I’m going to go out there and try my best underthe circumstances.”
Top women’s seed Martina Hingis set up a mouth-wateringquarterfinal against Venus Williams after both won in straightsets and Serena, the younger Williams sister, gave away just twogames as she thrashed Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand 6-1 6-1.
U.S. Open champion Serena now plays fellow American LisaRaymond who beat Olga Barabanschikova of Belarus 6-4 6-2.
