Roddick leaves Sampras shell-shocked

Roddick leaves Sampras shell-shocked
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Miami, March 26: He cracked aces at 209 kph and up, outplayed Pete Sampras from start to finish and doffed his cap to the vanquished champion as they shook hands at the net.

Only then did young Andy Roddick act his age: He sat down in his changeover chair and grinned like a kid at Christmas.

The gangly 18-year-old from Boca Raton lived up to the hype and hopes for the next generation of American men’s tennis on Sunday, upsetting Sampras 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 in the third round at the Ericsson Open.

It was a breakthrough victory for Roddick, the World’s No 1 junior last year. ‘‘Definitely the future of American tennis is looking very good,’’ a gracious Sampras said. ‘‘He’ll just get better and better.’’

Roddick, out of high school less than a year, is ranked No 119 and climbing. He’s the best bet yet to provide a worthy successor to the generation of Grand Slam champions that includes Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Michael Chang.

‘‘People have been saying that for almost a year-and-a-half now,’’ Roddick said. ‘‘I’m kind of used to it, and I embrace it. I like it.’’

Midway through the third round, the fourth-seeded Sampras became the fourth casualty among the top 10 men. No 5 Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia, who has never reached the quarter-finals at Key Biscayne, lost to Gaston Guadio of Argentina 6-4, 6-1.

American Jan-Michael Gambill beat No 14 Thomas Enqvist of Sweden 7-5, 6-7 (9-7), 6-1.

Women advancing included No 1 Martina Hingis of Switzerland and, No 2 American Lindsay Davenport, No 4 Jennifer Capriati of the United States and No 5 American Serena Williams. Only Williams struggled, needing a comeback to beat 19-year-old Iroda Tulyaganova of Uzbekistan 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

On a warm, sunny afternoon before a sellout stadium-court crowd, the lanky Roddick showed uncommon poise from the start. He dominated with a blistering serve that Sampras struggled to put in play. One ace was clocked at 220 kph. The next serve was a 219-kph sizzler at the chest of Sampras, who barely got his racket up in self-defence to deflect the ball.

Did Sampras fear Roddick might decapitate him? ‘‘Or someone else,’’ Sampras answered with a smile. ‘‘He just throws it up and swings as hard as he can.’’The youngster didn’t waver down the stretch, losing only two points on his serve in the second set. His forehand kept Sampras pinned deep, and he whacked six return winners.

When Sampras dumped a backhand into the net on matchpoint, Roddick gleefully pumped his fists and waved his index finger. Then he removed his cap as Sampras approached, a gesture that may have been unintentional but was symbolic.

‘‘He’s probably the greatest player of all time,’’ Roddick said.