For Sampras, regaining the top slot was just a matter of routine. But for the 25-year-old Indian it signified the coming of age on the Tour, after all these years when his admirers feared that he would be destined to trek the unsung Challenger route all his career. But then Paes has been a fighter -- a very unlikely trait for an Indian -- tough enough to face the slings and arrows of a merciless Tour.

If those Davis Cup victories,the bronze medal at the Atlanta Games, and the recent doubles successes with Mahesh Bhupathi had helped him carve out a special place in the sport, it was always evident that the boy had it in him to be among the best. The turn for the better came when he tied up with the Australian Bob `Nails' Carmichael, who not only instilled in him that self-belief was a better thing to have, but also made him work hard on his serve and groundies. The result was a better, all-round player than the quintessential chip-and-charger he was known to be. In the last 48 hours, he has beaten two players who have won 13 Grand Slam titles between them.

The victory over Sampras may not take Paes into the elite group -- he will be ranked around 70 -- but the confidence he gained from this 74-minute encounter will be one of the biggest gains which should carry him much further for times to come. Yet, the modest man that he is, he did not regard this as his biggest win ever. The bronze medal he won for his country rates much higher.That's Paes, the man who would give his all for the country.

Well, is there a lesson for that Great Indian Obsession which has torn the country's reputation to shreds, squabbling over whether medal or money should take precedence? It has been raised to such farcical levels that the addicts of this sport are enjoying the mud-slinging soap opera, now running at many centres.

On the other hand is this man, who feels that beating Sampras, that too on hard court, is small change compared to an Olympic bronze. It is highly unlikely that the win will be remembered as one of the most memorable ones in Indian sport. Indians are more comfortable with walking billboards. That is the tragedy.

Big wins outside Davis Cup

RAMANATHAN KRISHNAN

1960: Wimbledon quarter-finals: bt Luis Ayala (Chile) 7-6, 10-8, 6-2; 1961: Wimbledon quarter-finals: bt Roy Emerson (Australia) 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.

VIJAY AMRITRAJ (Tour titles: 16)

1974: US Open, second round: bt Bjorn Borg 6-1, 7-6, 3-6,1-6, 6-2; 1975: Indian Open Grand Prix final: beat US Open champion Manuel Orantes (Spain) at Calcutta; 1984: ATP Tour event in Cincinnatti: bt John McEnroe 6-7, 6-2, 6-3. He was just the second man to beat McEnroe that year. McEnroe had won Wimbledon, US Open and was French Open finalist that year).

RAMESH KRISHNAN (Tour titles: 8).

1981: US Open, fourth round: bt Gene Mayer (US), ranked in top 10, 4-6, 1-6, 7-6, 7-5; 1984: Sieko Open: bt Mats Wilander at Tokyo; 1986: Hong Kong Open: bt Jimmy Connors (quarterfinals), Pat Cash (semifinals) and Andrez Gomes (final); 1986: Wimbledon (round of 16): bt Eric Jelen (Germany) 6-4, 7-6, 6-2; 1987: US Open, fourth round: bt Andrei Chesnokov (Rus) 6-4, 6-1, 6-2; 1989: '89 Australian Open, second round: bt world No 1 Mats Wilander.

India's five best Davis Cup Victories

Ramanathan Krishnan bt Thomas Koch (Brazil) in 1966 at Calcutta in the Inter-Zonal final match. Krishnan, down two sets and 2-5 (15-30),went on to win 3-6, 6-4, 10-12, 7-5, 6-2

Vijay Amritraj, at 33, beat Martin Jaite (Argentina) in 1987 at New Delhi in the World Group. Vijay, down match point in the third, went on to win 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 8-6, 6-2

Ramesh Krishnan bt Wally Masur (Australia) in 1987 World Group semi-finals at Sydney 8-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Ramesh Krishnan beat Rodolphe Gilbert (France) in 1993 at Frejus (France) in the World Group quarter-finals. Ramesh was, down 2-5 down in the fourth set when play was extended to the fourth day. Ramesh won 2-6, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4

Leander Paes beat Goran Ivanisevic (Croatia), then ranked seventh, in the 1995 World Group qualifier. Paes, down two sets and a break in the third, went on to win 6-7, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-1