Three-times champion Boris Becker bowed out of a Paris tennis tournament for the last time yesterday - going down with all guns blazing to world number-one Pete Sampras in the second-round of the Paris Indoor Open.
Becker, 30 next month and already semi-retired, had made it clear he was playing in the French capital for the last time when he entered the $2.5 million event - but he did not disappoint the fans and gave 100 per cent throughout.
Sampras, a winner here two years ago, eventually clinched a 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-2 victory in just under two hours - but against any other player, Becker might well have won on the night.
After the 26-year-old American had pocketed a tremendous first set of power serves and scorching returns, most expected Becker to crack.
But far from it. The big German kept Sampras under pressure with blistering returns and sowed the first seeds of doubt in the American player's mind - finally breaking the top-seed's serve in the sixth game of the second set.
As he levelled at one set all it looked for a moment as though he might be on his way to causing an upset. But a series of angry exchanges between Becker and the umpire over line-calls and the remarkable accuracy of Sampras' sizzling ground strokes ended the hopes of the three-times Wimbledon champion.
Sampras, who also won the aces count with 15 to Becker's 11, now plays recent Stuttgart winner Petr Korda of the Czech Republic.
The American said of Becker afterwards: "It's always been tough matches, important matches against him, especially as the French crowd have always been behind him. I still feel Boris is one of the best players I've played in my career. I'm happy I got through it."
Second-seed Michael Chang, already safely through to the ATP Championship finals in Hanover next month, failed to lift his game and was sent crashing at the first hurdle in Paris, beaten 6-3, 6-2 by Magnus Gustafsson of Sweden. Gustafsson, currently ranked 33, was always in charge against the world number two and he raced home 6-3, 6-2 in just 81 minutes.
The victory put the 30-year-old Swede into a third-round clash against compatriot and defending champion Thomas Enqvist who earlier defeated German qualifier David Prinosil 7-5, 6-1.
Other seeds to join Chang looking for the exits were the number nine Marcelo Rios of Chile and the number six Carlos Moya of Spain.
Rios crashed in three sets to French Davis Cup player Guillaume Raoux while Moya went out in two to Todd Woodbridge of Australia.
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