"There was a moment there where everything just really clicked," Sampras said. "I didn't feel like I was in the 'zone' but I was getting there. Today's tennis was pretty much flawless on my side."
Three-time champion Boris Becker also reached the semifinals in straight sets, winning the last 12 points of the match to beat Christian Bergstrom of Sweden 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-3 -- but continued to generate controversy over his alleged gamesmanship.
Fourth-seeded Goran Ivanisevic was another straight-set winner, serving 29 aces in a 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 triumph over Guy Forget. The Frenchman served 19 aces in a match that had only three service breaks, including the second by Ivanisevic to end the match.
Asked if Sampras had any weaknesses, Chang said: "He doesn't cook well. As far as on the tennis court, he's doing just about everything right. I think he's reached the peak of his career."
In a match that shaped up as the classic confrontation between puncher and counter-puncher, it was Sampras who landed virtually all the blows. Chang came into the match with a 6-5 edge in career meetings with Sampras, but this was the first time they played on grass.
Sampras served only 8 aces, but he won 77 percent of the points on his serve, never faced a break point and dropped only 17 points on serve in the match. Sampras will next face the winner of the quarterfinal between sixth-seeded Todd Martin and unseeded Wayne Ferreira. Becker, the seventh seed, will play Ivanisevic.
While Becker won comfortably over the unseeded Bergstrom, he caused more controversy with his conduct.
At set point in the first-set tiebreaker, Becker held up his left hand after Bergstrom hit an overhead to signal he thought the ball was long. Becker hit the ball back anyway, but Bergstrom shanked an easy forehand volley to lose the set. The Swede argued he was distracted by Becker's gesture, but the chair umpire let the point stand.
In women's quarterfinal matches Tuesday, Gigi Fernandez pulled a hamstring in the second set of a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Zina Garrison Jackson, who had earlier defeated No. 2 Aranxta Sanchez Vicario. Despite the gutsy finish by Fernandez, she expressed little confidence that she could beat Martina Navratilova, who she will face Thursday in the semifinals.
Also on Tuesday, Wimbledon saw a glimpse of perhaps a future champion in Lindsay Davenport, who fought off a match point while trailing 5-2 in the second set against Conchita Martinez, and pushed her to a third set before finally losing 6-2, 6-7 (7-4), 6-3.
In the semifinals Thursday, Martinez is set to face Lori McNeil, who earlier upset top seed Steffi Graf.
(AP, Reuters)
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.