AO Flashback: Philippoussis shocks Sampras, electrifying Aussie … – Australian Open
Like many players, Philippoussis preferred to focus only on the match in front of him, waiting until his subsequent press conference to find out who he played next.
But when the Australian Open 1996 men’s singles draw was revealed, projecting a third-round match between Sampras and Philippoussis, it became more challenging to remain present.
“I think, unfortunately, that was a tough one to keep quiet,” said Philippoussis, who beat Nicolas Kiefer and Eyal Ran – his first AO main-draw wins – to progress to the last 32.
“So I knew that was ahead.”
The match itself
With Sampras beating Richard Fromberg and Michael Joyce, the blockbuster was booked for the first Saturday night of the tournament, beneath a closed roof.
Buoyed by a passionate crowd, it was the young Aussie who emerged the better player.
The match was dominated by the serve – Petkovski notes that 40 per cent of all points were determined by service winners – but Philippoussis did not have it all his own way, with Sampras moving ahead 5-2 in the second-set tiebreak.
At this crucial juncture, one might expect the more experienced player, and game’s towering No.1, to assert themselves. Yet Philippoussis did not let Sampras take control, saving two set points before securing what would be an unassailable two-sets-to-love lead.
Philippoussis believed this composure came not only from playing the great American at the US Open, but also from first hitting with him as a junior at a Hong Kong exhibition, then taking part in a training camp at Sampras’ Santa Monica base prior to AO 1996.
“Those count. Like, those matter. They make a difference,” Philippoussis said. “You’re kind of getting over the aura of playing against this guy that you’ve watched on TV. So yeah, I think having practice sessions help a lot … I was on the court quite a bit with him.”
Petkovski, sitting inside Rod Laver Arena for this match, remembers that Sampras “never got close” to breaking serve in the third set.
“We kind of almost expect Aussies to be better on grass, to do (something like this) on grass. But to do it on a hard court… it was huge,” she said of his eventual 6-4 7-6(9) 7-6(3) triumph.
“It really made us think that a new era of Australian tennis could be upon us.”
Aftermath
A new era was very much dawning, because this match, and result, reverberated in more ways than one.
For Philippoussis, this was not immediate; he lost his very next match to Mark Woodforde 6-2 6-2 6-2, a performance he attributed to inexperience and a significant emotional come-down.
He rose rapidly from there. In 1997 he hit world No.13, and in 1998 reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open. In 1999 he cracked the top 10, won his first ATP Masters 1000 title and helped clinched the Davis Cup trophy for Australia.
“Oh it definitely helped me. I always had that self-belief. But I showed it, you know, as far as I went out there and did it, not just believed it and wished it. So the result was there,” said Philippoussis, who defeated Sampras again at Roland Garros in 2000 and reached a second major final at Wimbledon in 2003.
