Sampras Defeats Federer

MACAU, China (Ticker) - Pete Sampras avoided a sweep at the hands of world No. 1 Roger Federer. The American legend defeated Federer, 7-6 (10-8), 6-4, on Saturday to in the finale of a three-match exhibition tour through Asia. Federer had won the previous two meetings this week in South Korea and Malaysia, but the retired 36-year-old salvaged this remaining clash.

Sampras retired in 2003 after a storied career that saw him win 64 singles titles and, despite this impressive win, a return to the ATP Tour is not anticipated. Sampras' 14 Grand Slam championships is an all-time record, but Federer won three of the four majors this season to close within two of that mark and has shown no signs of slowing down. The world's top-ranked player for six straight years between 1993-98, Sampras has already gone on record as saying he thinks Federer will break the record and perhaps go on to be the best player ever.

Federer capped another outstanding season on Sunday, capturing his eighth title of the season and 53rd of his career at the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai. The players crossed paths only once while both were active on Tour, with Federer winning a fourth-round match at Wimbledon in 2001.