The biggest mystery tonight is whom will the Ashe Stadium crowd favor – America’s old generation or new?
U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe will be like a proud papa watching America’s generations clash when Pete Sampras battles Andy Roddick in the U.S. Open quarterfinals. Sampras has lost both times to Roddick, but the 20-year-old Boca Raton sensation said yesterday he is still suffering from a bruised left foot.
“I think it will be little bit more for Pete,” McEnroe told The Post yesterday, “but I don’t think the crowd will be one-sided. After Pete’s miserable year, fans love to see him make another run. But for me and the fans, either one of them is a great story. If Roddick breaks through, to me he can win it.
“No matter how much you butter me up, I don’t think I should make a pick,” said McEnroe, still formulating his Davis Cup team for its semifinal in France Sept. 20. “But the key to the match is the first set. If Roddick wins the first set, he could run away. If it stays close, if it’s a dramatic sort with the crowd really into it, that favors Sampras because he’s been there. I don’t root in this one. I hope both guys play well.”
McEnroe said he thinks the Open may be in store for an historic evening.
“It certainly could be,” McEnroe said. “The anticipation is there, whether it lives up to it is another thing. Both guys are relishing the stage. Pete is playing as well as he’s played all year. It’s been an awful year for him. He’s got this thing going with the crowd here. Roddick just loves the crowd. Both guys love the big stage.”
With Sampras coming in as the 17th-seeded washed-up legend, having gone 32 tournaments without a title, Flushing has cheered his every move. Roddick won over more New Yorkers when Tuesday he leaned over into the seats to high-five roaring patrons after winning a marathon point.
Sampras wiped out nobodies Albert Portas and Kristian Pless before posting a five-set thriller over Greg Rusedski and battering No. 3 seed Tommy Haas in four sets.
“He played very well against Haas,” McEnroe said. “The Rusedski match, he didn’t play that great. It helped the first couple of rounds, he had it easy when he was more vulnerable. His eagerness is there. Earlier in the year, his motivation was not that strong, let’s be honest. It translates into lackluster play, bad footwork. Now his serve has more pop, his forehand’s bigger, he’s got an extra bit of juice to everything.”
