BY MICHAEL PERRY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Pete Sampras smiles after his semifinal victory.
(Saed Hindash photo)
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MASON -- Can't ask for much more than this: No. 2 vs. No. 3.
The world's best player vs. the world's hottest player.
Reigning Wimbledon champ meets U.S. Open champ.
Pete Sampras.
Patrick Rafter.
That's who is left for today's 3:30 p.m. final in the Great American Insurance ATP Championship.
This is the 13th time in 14 years the ATP has had an all-Top 10 final.
Sampras advanced with a 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 victory Saturday night over Sweden's Magnus Larsson. If he wins today, Sampras will regain the No. 1 spot in the ATP Tour computer rankings when they are released Monday. A loss, and Sampras remains No. 2 behind Marcelo Rios.
"I'm not thinking too much about that now," Sampras said. "My main concern is being No. 1 at the end of the year. But tomorrow is a big match."
Patrick Rafter hits a return Saturday.
(Ernest Coleman photo)
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Rafter blew past 10th-ranked Yevgeny Kafelnikov 7-5, 6-0 Saturday afternoon to reach his second consecutive Mercedes Super 9 final. He won last week in Toronto and hasn't lost in more than two weeks. But he has lost his last eight meetings with Sampras.
"I don't know too many people that have a good record against Pete," Rafter said. "I think at the best of his tennis and the best of my tennis, he's a better player. It will be very interesting to see if I've gotten any closer to him than I have before."
While Rafter says there is "never an optimum time" to play Sampras, this has to be as good as any.
Rafter:
Only had to play a 64-minute match Saturday afternoon. He should be well-rested today. In fact, rather than watch Sampras' match on TV Saturday night, Rafter planned to go see the movie The Mask of Zorro and have some popcorn. "I've got to relax tonight," he said.
Trails 8-1 in his series with Sampras; but he also trailed 6-1 in his series with Krajicek before last week. Rafter has also beaten four other opponents in the past two weeks against whom he had a combined 3-13 record (Jonas Bjorkman, Tim Henman, Petr Korda, Kafelnikov). "I hope he's not due against me," Sampras said.
Is as hot as he's ever been with a career-high nine-match winning streak. He is trying to win consecutive titles for the first time ever. Rafter is 19-2 since mid-June.
OK, that's the good news.
The concern for Rafter? He has not beaten Sampras in five years. He lost to him five times last year, including at the ATP Tour World Championship in Hannover, Germany, in November, and at the ATP Championship here in the round of 16. Rafter won just two of 14 sets with Sampras in '97.
"I have a lot of trouble reading his serve," Rafter said. "I had a lot of trouble with Krajicek's serve; I could never read his. Last week, I returned it great. I'm hoping it's going to work for me that way again."
This is the furthest Rafter has ever advanced in Cincinnati. Sampras is making his fourth appearance in the final. He won titles here in 1992 (defeating Ivan Lendl) and '97 (Thomas Muster) and lost the final in '91 to Guy Forget.
Neil Schmidt contributed to this report.
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