WIMBLEDON, England -- After a fortnight featuring the emergence of new faces and the farewell of old champions, Wimbledon ended on a familiar note: Pete Sampras holding up the men's trophy on Centre Court.
This Fourth of July was a banner day for American tennis as Sampras outplayed Andre Agassi for his sixth Wimbledon title and Lindsay Davenport beat Steffi Graf for her first.Sampras overwhelmed Agassi 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 to become the first man in the Open era to win Wimbledon six times and tie Roy Emerson's record of 12 Grand Slam tournament titles.
Davenport outslugged Graf 6-4, 7-5 to add the Wimbledon crown to last year's U.S. Open title. Immediately after the match, Graf, a seven-time Wimbledon champ, announced she had played her last match at the All England Club.
Sampras, who has never lost in a Wimbledon final, put on one of the most brilliant displays ever seen on Centre Court. His serves, volleys, returns, ground strokes -- all were virtually flawless.
Pat Cash, the 1987 champion, called Sampras' performance "as close to perfection as you're ever going to get."
Said Agassi: "He walked on water today."
Even Sampras himself was in awe.
"I couldn't have played any better," he said. "In the middle of the second set, I was on fire from all aspects of my game. I was playing in 'the zone.' "
Sampras said he was too dazed to even think about his place in tennis history.
"It's a little overwhelming to have won what I've won," he said. "I don't know how I do it, to be honest with you."
Agassi's brilliant counter-punching style, which earned him the 1992 Wimbledon title and was so effective in his six previous matches, was powerless against Sampras' serve-and-volley onslaught.
The match turned in the seventh game of the first set, when Sampras, down 0-40, saved three break points and held.
"He came out with four big bombs and basically an unreturnable second serve," Agassi said.
Agassi didn't see a break point the rest of the match.
Sampras, meanwhile, broke for the first time in the next game and never looked back, ending the match with his 17th ace.
"This place brings out the best in me," he said. "And Andre elevates my game to a level that is phenomenal."
Sampras is arguably the best grass court player in history. Whether he's the greatest player ever remains a matter of debate since he has never won the French Open or even reached the final of that Agassi, who won the French Open a month ago to become only the fifth man in history to win all four Grand Slam tournament titles, said he considers Sampras worthy of the all-time accolade.
"He's accomplished more than anybody else has in my opinion, no question about it," Agassi said. "The guy's dominated the grass and he's finished the year No. 1 six years in a row. His achievements speak for themselves."
Despite the lopsided defeat, Agassi supplants Sampras at No. 1 in the new ATP Tour rankings released Monday, completing a remarkable revival from a slump that saw him fall to No. 141 1 1/2 years ago.
"The fact I have accomplished what I've accomplished up until this day makes me feel better," Agassi said. "Every time you're on the court, you've got to prove that you're No. 1, and today on Centre Court at Wimbledon, I was not No. 1."
Davenport, meanwhile, proved emphatically that she deserves the No. 1 ranking she wrested from Martina Hingis.
The 23-year-old Californian dominated Graf with deep, heavy groundstrokes, keeping the German scurrying around the court.
Four points made all the difference. Davenport cashed in on the two breakpoints she created in Graf's first and last service games, and saved the two breakpoints against her in her first service games of each set.
Davenport hated playing on the slippery grass in her early years at Wimbledon, but on this seventh visit she made it look so effortless.
"To win here, to not lose a set, to beat Graf and (Jana) Novotna, who are the best grass court players we have, all of that combined just makes it the most amazing win," Davenport said.
A few hours later, she won the women's doubles title with Corina Morariu, bringing her total prize money for the tournament to $796,696 -- $72,563 more than Sampras.
Graf's collection of Wimbledon trophies will be completed with her second runner-up plate.
"I won't be here as a player again," she said moments after stepping off Centre Court in her 14th Wimbledon.
Graf walked off without so much as a wave to the crowd.
"I felt it was her day and I wanted to keep it that way and not take anything away from her," she said.
Graf's announcement leaves Wimbledon without two of its great champions. Compatriot Boris Becker, a three-time champ, said after his fourth-round loss that he had played his last Wimbledon.
A month ago, after winning the French Open for the sixth time, Graf announced she wouldn't play again at Roland Garros. She declined to say whether she will play for one more Grand Slam title -- she has 22 -- at the U.S. Open next month.
"It's been a lot of fun but, I guess, yes, there's going to be a certain time when I've got to move on with something else in my life," Graf said.
Graf's departure coincides with the rise of a new generation in women's tennis. While teen-agers Hingis, Venus and Serena Williams and Anna Kournikova are already established stars, Wimbledon provided the stage for stunning breakthroughs by 18-year-old Alexandra Stevenson, 17-year-old Mirjana Lucic and 16-year-old Jelena Docik.