Sampras-Courier: 1996 French Open QF [Tennis-Diary!]

Jim Courier and Peter Sampras are both former #1 American tennis greats, facing each other in a pivotal French Open masterpiece!

This is a sports-event recount diary about the legendary matchup between world #1 tennis stars Jim Courier and Pete Sampras both prolifically winning American champions who squared off in the exciting 1996 French Open QF at Roland Garros in the early Summer of the 20th Century in what was to be a watershed moment in the passing of the last great wave of classical tennis (before the new-gen hotshot era began with players like Roddick, Kuerten, Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic!). Courier was a hard-working athlete who never gave up anything and saw his high-mark in the early 1990s when he seemed to be just about in every tennis championship. Sampras' career had declined somewhat by 1996 but he was surfacing again and would eventually meet his newly revived rival Andre Agassi. That's what made this Sampras-Courier French Open matchup to representative of sports diaries! Enjoy (and thanks so much for reading), 

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"The 1996 French Open proved to be quite a contest. Kafelnikov had defeated Michael Stich in the Final in tough and close straightaway-sets and dethroned the man who'd upset Boris Becker in Wimbledon. However, the story of the tourney that year may be the matchup in the QF (quarterfinals) between Jim Courier and Peter Sampras, both Americans at Roland Garros in France."

"The sports writers and commentators included past stars and beloved commentators who'd offer ideas on what would make this Sampras-Courier match symbolic and possibly representative of the career-statements of both former #1 ATP players in the world. Sampras broke out and became a phenom like Courier, and Courier seemed almost invincible with his sense of grit and hard work, but Sampras was looking to resurge his career by 1996, and Courier was on the decline somewhat. The commentators were enjoying this sort of sports drama!"

"The French Open is played on a clay court, unlike any of the other major Grand Slam tennis tournaments. The French Open is played on clay surfaces which requires the competing athletes to be sure-footed and be able to handle slick sliding and top-spin and slice knives. This is the sort of play that reminds you why tennis might be a sport of great dance."

"Sampras is considered the Samurai of men's tennis and is the pride of America and has defeated just about everyone."

"Jim Courier is the ninja-soul of men's tennis, working like a horse to make his mark against challengers who're fated."

"The Coronavirus quarantine with media access like YouTube reminds us why replays of this symbolic men's tennis QF match excites our sensibility about competitive spirit and quarantine entertainment, after all!"

"Courier plays with a hot Wilson tennis racquet that is conducive to his streaky style of swift and striking strokes and serves, unlike Sampras."

"Sampras plays with a Wilson racquet just like Courier, but his is more conducive to long strokes and precise deadshots."

"Sampras and Courier make for a terrific American tennis rivalry and in Roland Garros (France), the stage was set for an incredible matchup. Courier jumped out to an incredible lead with confident and undeniable power plays, but Sampras miraculously roared back with unbelievable patient deadshots to win the match in an arduous marathon long 5 sets, one of the great long matches in French Open history!"

"Courier mentioned that Sampras was dead in his career but still hitting serve-bullets late in the match, and it's true, Sampras was revamping his career to eventually rise to create a hot rivalry with Andre Agassi who himself was reinventing himself completely. Men's tennis is quite thrilling, and this last matchup in the classic 20th Century era of men's tennis revealed why both these American celebrities, Courier and Sampras, could turn Roland Garros into an arena of extraordinary dreams."

COMMENTATOR: "It's absolutely true that Sampras was on his way to create an Agassi rivalry, and this match was the sign!"

"What makes the French Open special is the clay surface. What made the 1996 French Open special was this unbelievable comeback match between former two #1 American stars, the indomitable Jim Courier whose speed and swiftness reflected his deadpan worth ethic and energy, and Pete Sampras, the iron-like warrior who'd create yet another rivalry in the future --- with his nemesis Andre Agassi."

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