Patrick Rafter watched Pete Sampras’ third-round, straight-set rout of Mikhail Youzhny on television Saturday and got disgusted at the negativity.

“In the first set it was how old he was, how bad his backhand was, how bad all these things were,” Rafter said. “All of a sudden at the end of the match, it was, he’s the greatest player again. It was quite annoying listening to them writing him off and being negative.”

The Rafter-Sampras Round of 16 showdown highlights today’s Labor Day fiesta that also features Andre Agassi against dangerous Swiss Roger Federer, 20, who beat Sampras at Wimbledon. The winners of the two matches will meet in the quarterfinals.

“It’s going to be the biggest fourth round probably at a Grand slam that you’ll ever see,” Lleyton Hewitt said.

Rafter, perhaps playing his last Grand Slam, comes in off a summer tear in which he’s reached the finals of his last four events. Sampras, seeded 10th, hasn’t won a tournament this year.

“You don’t want to play Pete at the best of times or worst of times,” Rafter said. “I’m gonna treat the match like he’s still the No. 1 player in the world. People are trying to write him off, but not me. I’m wary.”