Tennis

Federer to take on Sampras

From correspondents in Hong Kong
May 23, 2007

WORLD No.1 Roger Federer and five-times Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras are to meet in a three-city Asian exhibition tour.

Swiss maestro Federer and American master Sampras, considered among the two greatest male players of all time, will meet in Kuala Lumpur and Seoul and round off the series at the soon-to-be launched Venetian Macau resort.

The two players met at competitive level only once in their careers, in the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2001.

Federer won that match in five sets, effectively signalling the beginning of the end of Sampras' reign as world No.1 during which he won a record 14 grand slam titles.

"It will be a dream come true for me to play Pete again," Federer said in a recorded video message at the series' launch in Hong Kong.

Sampras, who retired from top-flight tennis in 2002, said he had played a friendly match with Federer in California recently and while he wouldn't give away the score, said he was happy with his performance.

"I'm not as sharp as I used to be but I held my own," he said in a telephone link-up.

The series kicks off in Seoul on November 20, moves to the Malaysian capital on November 22 and will conclude at the 15,000-seater Venetian Macau arena on November 24.

The Sampras-Federer clash is part of a series of sporting exhibition events to mark opening of the Venetian, which will be the world's largest hotel and casino, this summer.

Highlights include a football match between English Premiership champion Manchester United and China's national side and a basketball tournament featuring NBA sides the Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Reuters