In the end, a celebration of youth

LLEYTON HEWITT claimed another title for the younger set, while the Williams sisters served notice at the U.S. Open that their brand of power tennis rules the women's game.

The 20-year-old Australian took his turn to make Pete Sampras look like a name from the past by blasting the four-time champion in the worst pasting in an open men's final for ten years.

The brash fourth seed who has the mental toughness and self belief to take on anyone, anywhere, as he has proved on the road for Australia in Davis Cup, became the youngest player to win the U.S. title since Sampras himself burst on the scene in 1990.

Unlike the prototype tennis champions from Australia, the slightly-built son of a former Aussie rules football player does not rely on serve and volley and reminded Sampras of go-getter Michael Chang, only better.

Hewitt's precision demolition of Sampras for his first major title was built on brilliant return of serve and baseline groundstrokes that sizzled past the 30-year-old winner of a career record 13 Grand Slams from all angles.

Last year, 20-year-old Marat Safin of Russia used his big-time power game to dismiss Sampras with startling ease in the open final.

Prior to that defeat, Sampras had lost only twice in 15 Grand Slam finals. Hewitt's triumph put an end to Sampras's streak of eight years in a row with at least one major crown and extended his tournament title drought to 18.

Hewitt punctured what loomed as a dream run for another Slam by Sampras, who had powered his way through one of the toughest draws in memory, eliminating the winners of the last four Opens - Patrick Rafter (1997-98), Andre Agassi (1999) and Safin (2000) - on his way to the final.

The recently married Sampras and the 31-year-old Agassi, whose soon-to-be bride Steffi Graf is expecting their first child, are approaching crossroads in their lives.

But the long-time rivals did not exit the Grand Slam stage in the 2001 season without leaving one more indelible memory.

The match-up of the aged produced a match for the ages, as their quarter-final clash produced a Grand Slam classic, with Sampras prevailing after four tiebreak sets played without a single service break at the height of virtuosity.

The leading lights on the women's side - sisters Venus and Serena Williams - were hard-pressed to match that performance, despite an historical confrontation in the championship match.

Defending champion Venus, 21, and 10th seed Serena, the 1999 Open winner, brushed aside the competition to set up the first all African- American final in Grand Slam history and the first major title match between sisters in 117 years.

The unprecedented night final at Arthur Ashe stadium had a buzz of anticipation worthy of Madison Square Garden hosting a heavyweight title fight, but it failed to deliver family feud fireworks and in the end was more of a Williams-style love-in.

``We both went out there competing, trying to win this tournament,'' Venus said after thumping little sister Serena. ``Hopefully, there will be better matches. I mean, after that Andre and Pete match, no one can live up to that again - maybe not ever.''

Many observers wondered whether the Williams sisters would ever be able to drop the gloves and really go at it, in a no holds barred battle on the court, given their closeness.

However, both Williams sisters made it clear they were fed up with their rankings, a result of playing a limited schedule on the WTA tour.

Fourth-ranked Venus said she planned to skip her autumn semester at Design school and play more tournaments. Serena, 19, who came to the open ranked 10th, said she thought it was time for her to move up to a new level and focus more on the sport.

Venus played 11 tournaments coming into the Open, and Serena just eight and were the two players with the lightest schedule among the top 50-ranked women's players.

The subject of rankings rankled many who wondered how Martina Hingis, blown off the court by Serena Williams in the semifinals, could retain her world number one rating without a Grand Slam win in more than two years and without a tournament title since winning twice in February.

Hingis, who has now gone 11 Slams without victory since taking the 1999 Australian Open, looks hopelessly overmatched against the power of the Williams sisters and other big women hitters who feast on her lollypop serves.

Players were seeded down to 32 instead of the customary 16 at the Open, which seemed to make the already predictable first week of women's action even more of a foregone conclusion.

The men's side, with its greater depth, still produced some early tension, most notably a third-round struggle in which top seed Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil came back from two sets down to beat big-serving Belarussian Max Mirnyi in a match that rivalled Sampras-Agassi as best of the tournament. Nearly rising to the big occasion was up-and-comer Andy Roddick.

Roddick gave Hewitt all he could handle in a scintillating, five- set quarter-final that might have turned on a specious overrule in the final game, which produced a tantrum from the 19-year-old American worthy of John McEnroe.

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