Sampras Outlasts Federer

NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Pete Sampras forced the best out of Roger Federer as the current world No. 1 edged his predecessor in an absorbing exhibition match at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. Playing only his second match since a debilitating bout of mononucleosis in January and February, Federer was taken to a third-set tiebreak by the 14-time Grand Slam winner before capturing the match, 6-3, 6-7 (7-4), 7-6 (8-6), in front of a sellout crowd.

The 19,000 fans, watching tennis at the Garden for the first time since 2000, got their money's worth from a match that lasted 2 hours, 15 minutes. Sampras rolled out his classic serve-and-volley game, improving with each set and prompting a rusty Federer to step up in order to get the victory. "I thought I was looking good at 2-0 in the third, and then all of a sudden ,it was almost over," Federer said. "It's just amazing to see how Pete hangs in there and how well he has played after retiring five or six years ago." Sampras and Federer only met once competitively, when the then unseeded 20-year-old Swiss superstar staged an upset at Wimbledon in 2001, beating the defending champion in five sets to reach the quarterfinals. The pair were reunited on a tennis court last November for three exhibitions in Asia. Federer beating the American in Seoul, South Korea and again two days later in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia before "Pistol Pete" took the third match in Macau.

On Monday, the 36-year-old Sampras fell behind early. Ten years his junior, Federer broke serve in the first game, and the American never got back on terms, losing the opening set. He fought his way back in the second, however, holding his serve to force a tiebreak and then serving superbly to build a 5-2 cushion before capturing the set. Sampras retired in 2003 after having played his last competitive match in the U.S. Open final in 2002, when he defeated Andre Agassi at Flushing Meadows for his 14th Grand Slam victory. He looked every bit like a current top 20 player Monday, as he rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the final set to take a 5-2 lead. But then it was Federer's turn to step up his game, breaking back to 5-4 and serving a perfect game at 6-5 down to take the match to a tiebreak - and the eventual victory.

"It was great to play Roger," Sampras said. "He's a great player and a great guy. I thought I had it there for a second, but that's why he's the best player in the world." A five-time U.S. Open champion, Sampras hinted before the match that it could be his final appearance in New York. Afterward, however, he stated he wanted to take the court in the Big Apple again. "That's the first night match I've ever lost in New York, but hopefully we can do it again next year," he said. "I hope we can do this in the future."