Take it easy
Philippoussis cruises to victory at Sybase Open
Posted: Sunday February 14, 1999 11:17 PM
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Philippoussis: "I've got expectations of myself -- but I'm not putting pressure on myself."
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SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Mark Philippoussis had it easy.
The Australian cruised to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over qualifier
Cecil Mamiit in the Sybase Open final Sunday. But it wasn't just
his booming serve and calm command that won the $325,000 event.
Philippoussis got a bit of help from Pete Sampras and Andre
Agassi.
Sampras, the top seed and No. 1 player in the world, withdrew
from the tournament shortly before Saturday's semifinal against
Philippoussis because of a strained tendon above his left ankle.
Sampras was playing in his first tournament after a 10-week
layoff. He hurt his leg during his quarterfinal victory over Bernd
Karbacher on Friday night.
Earlier in the week, second-seeded Agassi defaulted in his
second-round match against Mamiit because of repeated cursing.
Agassi, clearly the annual fan favorite at the Sybase, won the
indoor event last year by upsetting Sampras.
Those two events helped pave the way for Sunday's somewhat
lackluster final, which drew just 8,085 fans.
Philippoussis, the third seed, was his steady self, using his
120 mph-plus serve to overpower Mamiit, who is eight inches shorter
at 5-foot-8.
"I pretty much knew what I had to do," Philippoussis said.
Mamiit, a former NCAA singles champion currently ranked No. 120,
came out energized for his first ATP tour final. He flipped his
racket in his hands and bounced on his toes, but his enthusiasm and
quickness could not overcome his opponent's serve.
Philippoussis, who earned his sixth ATP tour title, earned match
point with a 124-mph serve that grazed Mamiit's racket and sailed
high into the crowd at the San Jose Arena.
"It's a pretty big serve," Mamiit said.
One of Philippoussis' serves was clocked at 134 mph, a
tournament-best. It was one of seven aces he had in the one-hour,
18-minute match. About the only thing to marring his performance
was 26 unforced errors.
The 22-year-old said he didn't feel like it the victory was
diminished by the loss of Sampras and Agassi.
"I've just learned to worry about yourself. Anything can happen
in tennis," he said. "Seeds can drop off, anything can happen."
However, he added that the chance to beat Sampras en route to a
final would have been sweet.
"I can't be too disappointed because I won the title," he
said. "But I am kind of disappointed because I enjoy playing Pete
... It's important for me to play him whenever I have the
opportunity because I can learn from him."
Mamiit, who defeated Michael Chang 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in Saturday's
semifinal, had never gotten past the second round of an ATP tour
event before this week. He turned pro after winning the NCAA
singles championship in 1996 as a freshman at Southern California.
With his appearance in the final, Mamiit will break into the top
100 in the tour rankings.
"It's been a great week for me. It's a great start for my
career," the native Californian said. "I think I can step up with
the players, and I feel I can compete with anyone out there."
Philippoussis, ranked No. 14 in the world, became the first
Australian to win the Sybase since Darren Cahill in 1991.
Earlier this year, Philippoussis advanced to the fourth round of
the Australian Open, losing in five sets to Thomas Enqvist. Coupled
with the Sybase win, Philippoussis said he is confident.
"I know what I can do," he said. "I've got expectations of
myself -- but I'm not putting pressure on myself."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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