Sampras advances with comeback win

In the third, the second seed broke for 4-2 and then moved ahead for victory after missing an easy shot on first match point but notching ace number 19 on his second chance for victory.

While Sampras was saving his skin, 19998217;s beaten finalist Tim Henman was taken out in his opening match.

The roof fell in the Briton8217;s Wimbledon preparation due to a loss against American qualifier Bob Bryan 7-6 7-2, 6-4.

The Californian 8211; who had to beat his twin brother Mike in weekend preliminary rounds 8211; leaped in the air in excitement on the soft Centre Court grass when he completed his feat.

Russian Marat Safin played himself proud as he won his first career victory on grass, taking a 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 decision over Frenchman Julien Boutter.

Safin went down an early break in the opening set under cloudy skies, but quickly levelled the match. The Russian clay-courter prevailed 7-5 in the opener as he tamed Boutter8217;s game, as big-hitting as his own.

Safin is being coached through Wimbledon by Tony Picard, who has guided Stefan Edberg and Greg Rusedski.

Mark Philippoussis extracted himself from late difficulties, serving his way out of trouble 6-3, 7-5 over fellow Aussie Wayne Arthurs.

Italy8217;s Gianluca Pozzi, 35 on Saturday, beat 35-year-old Ronald Agenor of Haiti 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 in a match among the two oldest active players in the game.

Rafter8217;s fortune upturn

HALLE: The career of the double US Open champion Patrick Rafter, which has hung in the balance since the shoulder injury he suffered last year, looks as though it may be taking a turn for the better.

The arrival in Europe of the Australian Davis Cup captain Tony Roche and the advent of the grass court season, helped Rafter to a win and to a new mood of optimism in the 975,000 Halle Open ATP event here on Tuesday.

The Aussie overcame the Dutchman Sjeng Schalken 7-6, 7-6 in a tense, serve-dominated battle and afterwards Rafter, the only leading player to travel the circuit without a coach, explained the change which the presence of Roche has created.

Russian Evegeny Kafelnikov played a courageous match against the Spaniard Fernando Vicente, saving a match point at 4-5 in the second set, pushing forward unceasingly to the net, and surviving 6-7, 7-6, 6-4.

But without a slice of luck in the second set tie-break he might never have made it. The service line judge called a double fault which would have put Kafelnikov two min-breaks down, only for it to be over-ruled by the umpire.

That helped convert 2-5 into 3-4, and Kafelnikov went on to rescue the tie-break 7-5, completing an improbable escape with a break of serve in the final game of the match.