ADELAIDE, Australia, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Hoping to rebound from a sub-par season, Pete Sampras suffered an early setback Wednesday with a
first-round loss at the AAPT Championships, a $357,000 hardcourt tennis event.
Sampras, the second seed, came down to Australia earlier than is his custom to get his year off to a positive start after going without a tournament victory in 2001, the first time since 1989 that he has gone winless during a season.
Instead, the 30-year-old American was dealt a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 defeat by countryman Todd Martin in a match that was postponed a day due to rain.
"It would have been nice to play really well here and get that confidence and show the guys you are playing well," said Sampras, who accepted a wild card to the event. "It didn't happen so I've got to start all over again and hopefully play
some good tennis next week and hopefully peak at the Australian Open."
Martin snapped a 13-match losing streak to Sampras last year at the Australian Open and Wednesday won his second in a row over his good friend to improve to 4-17 in the lifetme matchup.
In other first-round action held over from Tuesday, Australian Mark Philippoussis completed a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Julien Boutter of France. Philippoussis, coming back from offseason knee surgery, was 6-3, 1-0, when their match was suspended.
Also, fourth seed Hicham Arazi of Morocco overcame Michel Kratochvil of Switzerland, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7-3), and French qualifier Paul-Henri Mathieu ousted Australian Andrew Ilie, 6-3,
6-1.
Top seed Tim Henman advanced to the quarterfinals after Kenneth Carlsen of Denmark retired with a shoulder injury while the Englishman was leading, 7-6 (7-2), during their second-round encounter.
Henman next takes on fellow Brit, sixth-seeded Greg Rusedski, who defeated Australian Scott Draper, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.
Third seed Thomas Enqvist of Sweden posted a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 victory over Jerome Golmard of France. Enqvist won here in 2000 and reached the final last year. He will play Alberto Martin in
the quarterfinals as the Spaniard topped Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela, 6-2, 7-5.
