MEN’S SEMIFINALS : Sampras, Pioline Appear to Have Clear Sailing

NEW YORK — Who are these guys in the men’s singles semifinals?

According to John McEnroe, they are: “Pioline, Sampras, Sampras and Sampras.”

McEnroe was exaggerating, of course. Cedric Pioline of France and Pete Sampras are the favorites to meet in Sunday’s U.S. Open singles final, but first they must brush past challenges from two unexpected sources.

Sampras, seeded No. 2, goes against Alexander Volkov of Russia, the No. 14-seeded player, in the second semifinal. It comes as no great shock that Sampras is favored.

They met in the quarterfinals of last year’s U.S. Open and Sampras won, 6-4, 6-1, 6-0, when Volkov seemed to give up the last two sets.

Sampras apparently thought so, too. He told a television interviewer Wednesday night that the score of that match was “(6)-4, tank and tank.”

Sampras, who will replace Jim Courier as the No. 1-ranked player if he reaches the final, is 7-2 against Volkov.

The 15th-seeded Pioline is also regarded as the favorite against unseeded Wally Masur of Australia, who at 30 was the third-oldest player in the men’s singles draw of 128.

Pioline won the only match he has played against Masur, a five-set, fourth-round match at Wimbledon a little more than two months ago.

On the way to his first Grand Slam semifinal, Pioline defeated top-seeded Jim Courier in the fourth round and eighth-seeded Andrei Medvedev in the quarterfinals. Masur, who reached the semifinals at the Australian Open in 1978, has yet to face a seeded player during this tournament.