Sampras flops in Hamburg

Pete Sampras was beaten in straight sets

Top seed Pete Sampras crashed out of the Hamburg Masters on Wednesday, falling to unseeded Frenchman Arnaud Di Pasquale 6-4 6-4.

The Frenchman will now face Romania's Andrei Pavel, who won in straight sets against Spanish 15th seed Juan Carlos Ferrero.

It's a real pleasure to beat Sampras as when I was a kid he was already in the world top 10

Arnaud Di Pasquale

With the departures of Sampras and Ferrero seven seeds have already bitten the dust at the tournament, the fifth in this year's Masters series.

"I wasn't sure quite what to expect but I decided to go on the attack," said Di Pasquale after the match

"I wanted to try to put him under pressure and force him into making mistakes."

Sampras surrendered his serve in the seventh game of the opening set, then found himself broken to love as Di Pasquale, finding the lines with a welter of brilliant returns, moved 4-3 ahead in the second set.

Arnaud Di Pasquale was delighted with his performance

From that point there was no way back as Sampras slipped and slithered in the heavy conditions which were exacerbated by heavy rain.

"The conditions really suited my game," said Di Pasquale. "It's obviously not his best surface and everything came together for me.

"He was having problems with his first serves and I waited for a chance to take him out on the second.

"It's a real pleasure to beat him as when I was a kid he was already in the world top 10.

" I really felt something to come out and see all the people there courtside come to watch such a great player."