Kids Take On Establishment

NEW YORK — Lleyton Hewitt is no stranger to Pete Sampras.

In June, the 19-year-old Australian defeated Sampras, 6-4, 6-4, in the final match of a Wimbledon warm-up tournament in London, becoming the youngest Queen’s Cup champion since Boris Becker won as a 17-year-old in 1985.

Afterward, Sampras called Hewitt “the best mover in the game” and one of the world’s most competitive players.

Today, as a reward for his competitiveness over the last two weeks, Hewitt plays Sampras, 29, in a U.S. Open semifinal.

Today’s program in Arthur Ashe Stadium could signal a changing of the guard in men’s tennis, with two young guns challenging older, more established rivals.

Marat Safin, 20, of Russia plays 30-year-old Todd Martin, a finalist last year, in the other semifinal.

Hewitt, who partnered with Max Mirnyi to win the men’s doubles title Friday with a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (5) victory over Rick Leach and Ellis Ferreira, is a devotee of the “Rocky” movies--he owns all five on DVD--who sounds as if he’s not quite sure he’s ready to make a breakthrough this weekend.

“I didn’t come here to win it,” said the ninth-seeded Hewitt, who is the youngest male semifinalist since 1990, when Sampras, at 19, won the first of his record 13 Grand Slam titles. “Probably a bit stupid for me to come out and say, ‘I’m going to win the tournament,’ when I haven’t made the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam going into this event.

“That’s not really realistic coming here and saying I’m going to knock off Agassi, Sampras, Krajicek and win this tournament, all these great champions who have been in that situation before.

“I definitely gave myself a chance of making the second week. But you know, it really has been a bonus to make it through to the semifinals now.”

The sixth-seeded Safin, an emotional player who has gained as much notoriety for smashing rackets as moving up in the rankings, started talking about winning as early as the first round.

“It’s a big opportunity to . . . not to win, but yes, actually, I want to win it,” he said, laughing.

Like Martin, whose late-night victory over Carlos Moya of Spain in the round of 16 was the match of the tournament, Safin has also survived some difficult matches, twice winning in five sets.

But unlike Martin, a runner-up twice and a semifinalist three other times, Safin has never played in a Grand Slam semifinal.

Still, his quarterfinal victim, Nicolas Kiefer of Germany, said Safin is ready to win now.

“It’s only words,” Safin said. “Can you believe it? It would be nice, but it’s a long way. Still two matches, tough opponents, Martin . . . and maybe in the final--I don’t want to think about this.

“I have my next match. I’m only in the semifinal. I go match by match. It’s better like this.”