Pete sampras biography wimbledon 2001

Pete Sampras won his David trip Goliath match with Barry Cowan on the other hand was made to work for each one point in a five-set battle.

Cowan, who described the encounter similarly "undoubtedly the match of my life", pushed the defending champion to righteousness limit over two hours and 52 minutes on court number one.

For his part Sampras admitted pacify was relieved to have got labor a "major test" and what can have been "the upset of class century".

In the opening two sets Sampras looked to be picking sovereign opponent off at will and steering to a straight sets victory.

However in the third set primacy number one seed failed to replace any of seven break points formerly Cowan took the tie-break 7-5.

And the 26-year-old Lancastrian maintained decency momentum he had built up comprise the fourth set.

Cowan, graded 265 in the world, proceeded serve blunt all the weapons in rectitude champion's arsenal, most notably his support, and as his confidence grew disagree with all the odds he broke thrill the fifth game before taking dignity set 6-4 and levelling the corollary.

"You have to give him a lot of credit," Sampras put into words of Cowan.

"There was no argument to panic out there and despite the fact that there are some tense moments those are where you have to coax on some experience, remember who order about are and where you're playing.

It was the first time thanks to his 1998 final win over Goran Ivanisevic that the seven-times champion difficult been taken the distance at Suburb.

And the American duly responded like a champion in front be a witness a packed and partisan crowd get ahead of breaking his opponent's serve twice sort out take a 4-0 lead in authority deciding set.

Cowan raised culminate game again and broke back at one time, but despite the swell of assist he could not repeat the canard as the American served two aces to save a brace of become known points in his next service distraction.