Sampras Ko'd in Hamburg

Top seed Pete Sampras has crashed out of the Hamburg Masters Series tournament, falling 6-4 6-4 to France's Arnaud di Pasquale in the second round.

Sampras, playing his first event after five weeks out of action with a thigh muscle injury, was brushed aside in 77 minutes by the unseeded Di Pasquale.

The American former world number one looked a bit rusty while the Frenchman played closed to perfection, returning superbly.

It had rained in the morning and the roof of the high-tech centre court was closed when the two battled it out.

Di Pasquale, who had never met Sampras before, broke his prestigious opponent in the seventh game of the first set, which he later wrapped up as Sampras netted a forehand on set point.

The second set was close until Di Pasquale fired a blistering return winner to break Sampras in the seventh game.

The Frenchman went on to earn three match points. He netted a forehand on the first but on the second Sampras hit a forehand wide.

Sampras, who has been persistently hampered by injury worries this year, was hoping for a good showing in Hamburg as he is warming up for the only Grand Slam to have eluded him, the French Open starting on May 29.