Pete Sampras's hopes of winning the one Grand Slam title that has eluded him were dashed again yesterday in the second round of the French Open when he lost abjectly 76, 6-3, 6-4 to Ramon Delgado, a 21-year-old Paraguayan ranked number 97 in the world. It was an astonishing result, even given that the American, who holds 10 Grand Slam titles, has never got beyond the semi-finals here.
Rain interrupted play three times and the world number one must have hoped the showers would turn into a continuous downpour. He hates the dank and the cold, when the balls get heavier and the courts slower, negating his power.
All appeared to be going well when he led 4-1 with a break in his favour. Then came the rain. When the players returned, Sampras's whole world rapidly disintegrated. And with a vengeance.
Delgado, from Asuncion, is a 6ft 1in right-hander with next to no experience at this level. He won a match at the French Open last year, and his best performance on the ATP Tour came this year in Atlanta on clay when he lost in the quarter-finals to none other than Sampras, 7-6, 7-6.
"I tried hitting my way out of trouble after the second set but he came up with some great shots," Sampras said. "I put so much effort on the majors and to come up short like this is very disappointing."
Earlier in the day, three-times champion Monica Seles, playing in her first tournament since the death of her father earlier this month, was given the fright of her life.
The sixth-seeded American was taking a nap during one of the many rain breaks and expecting to have the day off when the organisers informed her she would be playing her second-round match against Austria's Marion Maruska in 10 minutes.
When she arrived on court she was so unsettled she promptly dropped the first set to her 107thranked opponent and looked as though she might be in serious trouble.
But Seles, hitting the ball harder and harder as the match went on, scrambled back into the driving seat after dropping her serve at the start of the second set and completed a 2-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory in 79 minutes.
Seles now plays another Austrian - Barbara Schwartz, who defeated Miriam Oremans of the Netherlands 6-4, 6-2.
"I only had 10 minutes to get ready to play," said Seles who won here in 1990, 1991 and 1992.
"I had taken a nap and seen that Pete Sampras was leading 4-1 in his game - so I thought there was no way I was going to have to play today. I didn't think they would change my court. That's a lesson learned for next time.
"I was so dazed when I got out there that I didn't even warm up, and I was missing so many balls. When I was a break down in the second set I knew I would have to wake up or I would be out of the tournament. Luckily I woke up," said a relieved Seles.
Meanwhile, world number-one Martina Hingis and hard-hitting American rival Venus Williams remain on a collision course - both players inflicting ruthless straight-set defeats on shell-shocked opponents yesterday to sweep into the third-round.
With several rain breaks bringing the tournament to a halt, Hingis and Williams did their best to come to the rescue of the organisers by completing their matches in double-quick time.
Hingis needed just 57 minutes to dispose of plucky but outclassed Meike Babel of Germany 6-1, 6-2.
Williams was on court for only 49 minutes, chalking up an awesome 6-0, 6-2 win over Japan's number-one player Ai Sugiyama.
So far the two 17-year-olds, who are scheduled to play in the quarter-finals, have conceded only six games apiece since the tournament began.
In the men's singles, title favourite Marcelo Rios outplayed Emilio Alvarez of Spain 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in just 90 minutes.
Rios, who has rattled off five tournament wins so far this year and who reached the Australian Open final in January, now faces a showdown with South Africa's Wayne Ferreira and has a score to settle.
Results
Men's Singles: Second round (x denotes seed) - : M Rios (Chi 3) bt Emilio Alvarez (Spa) 6-4, 6-2, 6-2; A Costa (Spa x13) bt M-Kevin Goellner (Ger) 6-4, 6-3, 6-1; W Ferreira (Rsa) bt M Norman (Swe) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4; J Van Herck (Bel) bt J Mas (Spa) 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 7-5; F Meligeni (Bra) bt V Spadea (USA) 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/3), 6-3; B Ulihrach (Cze) bt M Philippoussis (Aus) 3-6, 67 (2/7), 7-5, 6-4, 9-7; J Knippschild (Ger) bt J Courier (USA) 6-4, 6-2, 6-3; T Woodbridge (Aus) bt G Raoux (Fra) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0; R Delgado (Par) bt P Sampras (US x1) 7-6 (8/6), 6-3, 6-4.
Women's Singles: Second round - V Williams (US x8) bt A Sugiyama (Jpn) 6-0, 6-2; A Dechaume-Balleret (Fra) bt A Gersi (Cze) 6-2, 57, 6-1; M Hingis (Swi x1) bt M Babel (Ger) 6-1, 62; J Novotna (Cze x3) bt E Loit (Fra) 7-5, 6-0; K Habsudova (Svk) bt N Pratt (Aus) 7-6 (7/5), 6-2; B Rittner (Aut) bt N Sawamatsu (Jpn) 6-3, 6-4; M Seles (USA x6) bt M Maruska (Aut) 2-6, 6-1, 6-0; A Smashnova (Isr) bt E Gagliardi (Swi) 5-7, 6-0, 6-1; B Schwartz (Aut) bt M Oremans (Ned) 6-4, 6-2; E Tatarkova (Ukr) bt K Hrdlickova (Cze) 6-4, 6-1.
