Sampras wins, Rios loses at ATP

Pete Sampras got a perfect start Tuesday at the ATP World Championship and, unfortunately for Marcelo Rios, so did Tim Henman.

Sampras and Rios, the top players in the world, are battling for the No. 1 ranking at the end of the year.

While Sampras beat Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6-2, 6-4 in his opening match, Rios was upset 7-5, 6-1 by the big-serving Tim Henman.

Sampras leads Rios by only 33 points in the computer rankings and he is seeking to become the first man to finish at No. 1 for six years in a row. He shares the record of five with Jimmy Connors.

Rios needs to win at least two matches in the round-robin portion of the elite event to have a shot at dethroning Sampras in the final rankings for the year.

Sampras showed how badly he wants the record by thrashing Kafelnikov.

Rios, meanwhile, faded after falling behind a break in the second set against Henman and never rallied.

“I don’t want to say it was a statement, but I was very focused,” Sampras said.”This is an important week and it showed.”

“I hope I can maintain this level throughout the week, which is not going to be easy. But today was a good start.”

Sampras was impressive in the first set with his crisp serve-and-volley game. Kafelnikov gave him a better battle in the second set, but Sampras still dominated the player he beat in last year’s final, when he won the title for the fourth time.

“I had a lot of work to do in the second set,” Sampras said. “I didn’t want to do what I did last year when I lost my first match and played a little flat. I didn’t want to dig myself into a hole, having to win my next two matches.” Sampras had problems closing the match, needing six match points. He won it when Kafelnikov made two straight backhand errors.

Kafelnikov was the last player to earn a place in the $3.5 million tournament that brings together the eight players with the best results of the year. The round-robin portion consists of two four-man groups, with two players from each advancing to the semifinals.

Rios, who leads the tour with seven titles this year, dropped his serve in losing the first set.

He wasted a break point in the third game of the second and lost his serve again in the fourth, beginning a series of errors that drew boos from the spectators. The match ended when Rios hit a careless backhand long.

In another match, Carlos Moya rallied to beat Karol Kucera 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 6-3.

Moya, the French Open champion, won for the first time indoors this year in six matches.

The Spaniard turned the match in the second set, when Kucera first double-faulted, giving Moya a set point, then hit a simple forehand into the net. Moya broke serve for a decisive break in the third set.

The next opponent for Sampras on Wednesday is Moya, who beat the No. 1 player in the opening match last year. In other matches Wednesday, Kucera plays Kafelnikov and Andre Agassi faces Alex Corretja.

Associated Press