It was only one point in one match. Yet it
inspired the kind of emotion Pete Sampras hasn't even
shown en route to winning some Wimbledon titles. It
happened Friday night in Sampras' semifinal with one of
the bright young lights in men's tennis, Australia's
Lleyton Hewitt. After his game sagged in the second set,
Sampras seized on his first break point in set three to
win a 20-point rally point with a backhand volley and
gain command. With the point, Sampras had his break,
his momentum, and his sense of direction. From that
juncture, there was no stopping him. He outlasted Hewitt
6-3, 3-6, 6-1. <br>The victory puts Sampras in the
final Sunday against Gustavo Kuerten, the No. 6 seed
who beat Andre Agassi in a mild upset earlier Friday.
"I just felt the way the match was going, in the
second set I completely lost my rhythm," Sampras said.
"It's such a big point because the momentum had turned
to him, and then it completely shifted<br>around to
me." <br>Sampras had the mobile Hewitt running
everywhere<br>on that point. He relentlessly attacked his
background. "It's all instinct, all reaction," Sampras said.
"I just felt I won grinding him down with that
backhand, and eventually I was going to come in (to the
net). It was just a matter of when." <br>After he won
the point, Sampras turned to the crowd at his left
and offered a double fist-pump. He yelled a little.
He offered a little show-biz. <br>It's a rare sight
from Sampras. No wonder the crowd ate it up.
<br>"People that are there watching, the fact that I show no
emotion at all -- the fact that I showed some, they loved
it. I like it," he said. "It's something I'll do a
little bit more as I get older. <br>"I'd love to win
here. I mean, the year hasn't been bad. I've come up
short in a couple tight matches. But I'd love to win
here." <br>Hewitt would put his money on Sampras. "It's
hard to go past Pete," Hewitt said, looking ahead to
the final with Kuerten. <br>Hewitt said he was able
to get back into the match in the second set because
Sampras started to miss first serves. "It's as simple as
that," Hewitt said. "I started sort of moving forward,
just having a go at his second serve when I got the
opportunity. It's a big thing, just confidence out there. "I
started getting these second serves. Then I started
reading his first serve a lot better while I was out
there, as well. I think that was the turning point in
sort of the end of the second set." Hewitt seemed to
have Sampras dragging, even a bit deflated. And when
Sampras offered that typical walk of his -- the slumping
shoulders, the poor posture -- it's easy to think he has
lost his edge. <br>One crosscourt winner, and his
opponent knows better. "That's why he's possibly the
greatest player to play," Hewitt said. "He can do
anything." <br>Well aware of Hewitt's 25-2 start entering
the match and his vast potential, the 28-year-old
Sampras sees a Grand Slam champion in the making.