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Draw looks good for Sampras

World No. 1 Pete Sampras will open the defence of his Wimbledon title next Monday with a match against Australian Scott Draper.

Fortune smiled on the top seeded American, when the draws were announced on Tuesday, as he was offered what looked a comfortable ride through the first stages of the tournament.

Sampras, who is attempting to win a record-equalling 12th Grand Slam title, should have things his way against Draper, who has never made it beyond the second round at the All England Club. Next, he should either meet Zimbabwean Wayne Black, ranked 96th in the world, or Canadian Sebastien Lareau, the number 100.

Dutchman Richard Krajicek, the last man to beat Sampras on the Wimbledon grass in the 1996 quarter-finals, has been kept well out of Sampras's way in the lower half of the draw.

If Krajicek, the 1996 champion, and Sampras, winner in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997 and 1998, do meet, it will only be in the final.

In-form Andre Agassi, winner of the French Open and the 1992 Wimbledon champion, is in the opposite half of the draw and could meet Krajicek in the quarter-finals.

Women's world number one Martina Hingis, who opens against a qualifier, could face Mary Pierce, a 1996 quarter-finalist, in the fourth round and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, twice a finalist, in the last eight.

Goran Ivanisevic, the unpredictable Croatian who was runner-up thrice and always dangerous when on form on grass, is also in the lower section of the draw.

Even sentimental favourite Boris Becker, back for his last Wimbledon after winning the title three times in the 1980s, has been kept out of Sampras's way by the draw.

Becker, adored by the London crowd, could meet 18-year-old Wimbledon debutant Lleyton Hewitt in the third round in a symbolic clash of the generations. The young Australian, who had given Sampras a hard time in the Queen's Club semi-finals last week, was only four years old when the now-grizzled German won his first Wimbledon crown in 1985.

Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who surrendered the world number one spot to Sampras this week, could face 1997 runner-up Cedric Pioline of France in the third round. If he survives, the third seed could find himself up against world number six and home favourite Tim Henman in the quarter-finals.

The winner could expect to play Sampras. Henman took Sampras to three tough sets in the final at Queen's on Sunday.

Like Sampras, Steffi Graf will be happy with Tuesday's draw as she warms up for an attempt to win her eighth singles crown at Wimbledon.

Not until the quarter-finals, when she can expect to find one of the Williams sisters awaiting her, does the French Open champion face a difficult match.

Sisterly love will be sorely tested in the Williams camp. The American pair of Serena, seeded 10th, and Venus, sixth, are scheduled to meet in the last 16. Venus, the older by 15 months, has the better record at Wimbledon, having reached the quarter-finals last year where she fell to eventual champion Jana Novotna.

The veteran Novotna, optimistic that an ankle injury sustained at Roland Garros will heal in time for her to defend her Wimbledon title, is seeded to meet number three Lindsay Davenport in the quarter-finals.

Former world number one Monica Seles, the fourth seed, could find herself up against Russian Anna Kournikova in the quarter-finals. Kournikova, ranked 18th in the world, has not been seeded but still looks one of the most dangerous opponents in Seles's quarter of the draw.

The Russian, a semi-finalist two years ago, was forced to scratch from Wimbledon last year because of a thumb injury.

The rehabilitated Jennifer Capriati, once a semi-finalist and twice a quarter-finalist in her teens before drugs and shoplifting charges hurt her career, has been given a wild card and will face German Anke Huber in a difficult first-round match.

Agencies