Sampras Prepares for Wimbledon with Victory

Pete Sampras played 71 games and three tiebreakers and outlasted two opponents in one day as he tuned up for defense of his Wimbledon title by winning the $625,000 Queens Club grass-court tournament in London on Sunday.

After saving three match points and turning around a 5-2 deficit in his semifinal against German Marc Goellner, the top-seeded American fired 21 aces in a 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (8-6) triumph over Guy Forget in the final.

“It was a very busy day,” said Sampras, who teamed with Todd Martin for a 6-3, 3-6, 12-10 victory over top-seeded Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge of Australia in the doubles final. That made it 111 games in 5 hours 20 minutes for Sampras.

Because rain washed out Saturday’s play, the semifinals and final were staged Sunday. Sampras defeated Goellner, 6-7 (7-4), 6-2, 13-11, in 2 hours 12 minutes.

Forget upset second-seeded Boris Becker, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, in the other semifinal.

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Zina Garrison-Jackson defeated Lori McNeil, 6-3, 6-3, to win the DFS Classic women’s grass-court title in Birmingham, England. . . . Top-seeded Spaniard Alberto Berasategui defeated compatriot Carlos Costa, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, to win the $328,000 Maia Open in Oporto, Portugal. . . . Karol Kucera won two tiebreakers to defeat Anders Jarryd, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (7-4), in the final of the Ordina Open grass-court tournament in Rosmalen, Netherlands.

Basketball

Bob Huggins withdrew as a candidate for the Miami Heat coaching job, saying he prefers to stay at the University of Cincinnati. Huggins has coached Cincinnati to a Final Four appearance and four consecutive NCAA tournament berths.

North Carolina forward Jerry Stackhouse is scheduled to work out today for the Clippers, who have the second pick in the NBA draft on June 28.

Miscellany

James Toney (46-2-2) knocked out Fred Delgado (21-4-1) in the fifth round of a light heavyweight bout in New Orleans. In claiming the vacant title of the fringe World Boxing Union, Toney forfeited his U.S. Boxing Assn. light-heavyweight title.

Mark Kotsay of Cal State Fullerton hit a grand slam as the U.S. national team beat Nicaragua, 11-7, in a baseball exhibition in Millington, Tenn.

Names in the News

Gustavo Borges swam the men’s 100-meter freestyle in 50.33 seconds to set a meet record in the Charlotte (N.C.) UltraSwim. . . . In pro beach volleyball, Adam Johnson and Jose Loiola defeated Mike Dodd and Mike Whitmarsh, 11-8, 7-4, to win the $100,000 Miller Lite Open at Seaside Heights, N.J. . . . Linda Hanley and Angela Rock defeated Holly McPeak and Nancy Reno, 15-6, to win the inaugural Women’s Professional Beach Volleyball Tour Grand Haven (Mich.) Open.