Rafter Repeat

Pat Rafter has answered emphatically John McEnroe's charge that he is a "one-slam wonder" by defending his US Open title. Rafter is only the sixth player in history to have successfully defended the US Open, joining the illustrious company of names such as Sampras, Edberg and McEnroe himself. The Australian's form throughout the North American summer has been consistently brilliant - he won 3 of the 5 events in which he played. This form continued in the US Open.

After an early-round scare against Hicham Arazi, Rafter cruised through to the semi-finals with wins over Goran Ivanisevic and Jonas Bjorkman. His toughest test awaited in the form of world number 1 Pete Sampras, who looked to be in great form after having avenged his Australian Open loss to Karol Kucera. The first 2 sets were even, with Rafter matching Sampras shot for shot. The world number 1 took the 1st set in a tie-breaker, but lost the 2nd by 6-4. The match turned after Sampras injured his thigh in the 3rd set. Although he won it, he was clearly hampered and Rafter took full advantage to win by 6-7 (8-10), 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Although the win was not clear-cut, Rafter certainly showed that he can match it with the world number 1, and is a legitimate contender for his top ranking. Sampras, on the other hand, appears to be waning. Although Rafter has definitely raised his game this year, the American champion appears to have dropped a level. His fitness appears to be in question over 5 sets, and his court movement also seems to have slowed. Sampras is on the verge of a history. He currently holds 11 grand slam titles, and needs to win only 2 more to pass the record number of 12 held by Roy Emerson. At 27, however, and with his game showing signs of deterioration, he could make hard work of his challenge.

In the final, Rafter faced countryman Mark Philipoussis, who had crushed Carlos Moya in the semi-finals. This was a major breakthrough for the 21-year-old, who has for some time promised much but failed to deliver. The final was even at a set all, but Rafter seemed to break Philipoussis' spirit when he scored a service break in the 3rd set. The 21-year-old failed to win another game, and the final ended in the worst possible way on a double fault. But it was a fantastic performance from Rafter, who at the end of this year's Wimbledon had looked anything but a chance to defend his grand slam title.

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