Pete Sampras won only two games as he slumped to a third-round defeat against Frenchman Fabrice Santoro yesterday - but the American could still rise to number one in the rankings after the $2.45 million Monte Carlo Open. Sampras, who was beaten 6-1 61 in just 65 minutes, committed 37 unforced errors and managed a paltry first-serve percentage of just 36 per cent.

Boris Becker had a stunning 6-1, 6-1 win as he tamed the big serve of Australian Mark Philippoussis, the 13th seed. Monte Carlo title holder and number one Marcelo Rios of Chile is missing this week with an elbow problem.