Pete Sampras, with his lowest seeding at a Grand Slam event since 1990, struggled past France's Julien Boutter 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (8/6) at Flushing Meadow yesterday in the US Open first round.
In a round when players typically try to win with ease to conserve energy for later matches, Sampras found himself tested at every turn in his first meeting with 27-year-old Boutter, 57th in the ATP Champions race.
"It was tough, a very, very tough match," Sampras said. "He possesses a huge serve. The guy is an unbelievable shotmaker. He played unbelievably well and I managed to pull it out at the end."
Boutter hit four aces in a row past Sampras in a third-set tie-breaker that the American felt fortunate to capture after trailing 5-2.
"Tie-breakers against a guy serving that big, it comes down to a few points here and there," Sampras said. "It was a good one to get through in straight sets. It was getting warm out there." The 30-year-old American advanced to a second-round match-up with Brazilian qualifier Andre Sa.
Sampras is trying to win a Grand Slam crown for the ninth year in a row, which would surpass the record eight he shares with Swedish legend Bjorn Borg, and match Jimmy Connors with an Open-era record five US titles.
"I feel like I've got a pretty good shot," Sampras said. "I've done well over the years. Hopefully I can do it. I'm still very confident. I still feel like I'm one of the strong favorites even though the year has been a little disappointing. No reason to get too down here. I have played well here. I can still do it."
France's Sebastien Grosjean became the highest-seed loser so far at the event when he lost to Argentina's Mariano Zabaleta 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.
Aided by Grosjean's loss was Britain's 30th-seeded Greg Rusedski who rallied to defeat Morocco's Younes El Aynaoui 6-7 (4/7), 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 in two hours and 28 minutes, serving 17 aces with seven double faults.
"He was serving so well, it was a little bit discouraging," El Aynaoui said. "I had my chances but I was hopeless on his serve."
Rusedski will next play Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman in a rematch of their 1997 US Open semi-final. Rusedski cannot now face a seeded foe until the fourth round, where British Davis Cup team-mate Tim Henman might await.
Yesterday's turning point came in the second set when El Aynaoui, serving to force a tie-breaker, netted a forehand and double faulted to surrender the set. El Aynaoui never reached a break point on Rusedski's serve..
"I got a little more aggressive in the second, third, fourth sets and I staretd chipping and charging. That was the key," Rusedski said. "I was happy I didn't get into that second set tie-breaker where anything could have happened. It was important to set the initiative."
French Open runner-up Kim Clijsters, showing no ill effects from an injured right quadricep muscle, defeated 102nd-ranked Pavlina Nola of New Zealand 6-1, 6-1 in 48 minutes in the women's singles..
The fifth seed from Belgium, playing with tape on her thigh, won 12 of the first 13 points, captured the first three games in five minutes and took the opening set in 23 against the New Zealander.
Clijsters suffered the injury last week in a tune-up at nearby New Haven. The 18-year-old prodigy was barely slowed by the muscle strain. Clijsters, next faces Colombian Catalina Castano or American Allison Bradshaw.
