Sampras Aces Another Final

After seeing several players take brief hold of the No. 1 spot in the world rankings recently, Pete Sampras is leaving little doubt who’s still the best in the world.

Sampras avenged last year’s loss to Patrick Rafter in the $2.45 million ATP Championship, using 12 aces to defeat the Australian, 7-6 (9-7), 6-3, in Sunday’s final at Mason, Ohio.

Sampras, who now has 60 career tournament titles, has won 22 consecutive matches, including four tournaments in a row, in the second longest streak of his career. He won 29 in a row in 1994.

“From the first couple of games, I felt like my rhythm was there,” Sampras said. “I felt I was hitting big, and I was hitting close to the line. And you combine those two, I think he felt it was going to be tough to break me.”

Sampras will be ranked No. 1 for a record 273rd week when the new rankings are released today.

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Top-seeded Phillip King of Long Beach won his second major junior title this year, defeating second-seeded Mardy Fish of Vero Beach, Fla., 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, to win the 18-and-under singles championship at the USTA National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich., and earn a direct spot into the main draw of this month’s U.S. Open.