Pete Sampras, the defending champion and No. 1 player in the world, lost to Carlos Moya in the opening match of the ATP Tour World Championship.
Moya, ranked No. 7, won 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2 over an erratic Sampras and gained a measure of revenge for a straight-set loss to the American in the final of the Australian Open early this year.
“It was a tough day,” Sampras said. “It’s not the start I wanted, but I’m not out of it.”
Because of the round-robin format of the preliminary round, Sampras is still in contention in the season-ending event. But he faces tough matches against No. 3 Patrick Rafter and No. 5 Greg Rusedski. On Tuesday, Rafter beat the big-serving Rusedski 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
The $3.3-million tournament brings together the top eight players in the world, split into two groups. The top two from each group advance to the semifinals.
Sampras, who leads the tour with seven titles this year, had a whopping total of 50 unforced errors and even lagged behind in aces, 8-6.
Regardless of the outcome of the tournament, Sampras will finish as No. 1 for the fifth straight year, tying the record held by Jimmy Connors.
