THE PARIS pestilence, or call it the curse of clay, has struck Pete Sampras again. The French Championship is the one Grand Slam to elude him and yesterday he slumped miserably to a 6-2 6-4 2-6 6-4 defeat against Sweden's Magnus Norman, who celebrated his 21st birthday in a style he could have scarcely imagined possible when he awoke.

Last year Sampras, beaten in the semi-finals by Russia Yevgeny Kafelnikov, was sick at heart for he was still mourning the death of his close friend and coach Tim Gullikson. This time he was sick in the stomach, the least reliable part of the American's body.

He had been taken sick on Thursday and had this third round match switched from second on the Court Suzanne Lenglen to last. But it turned out to be nothing more than his last stand.

The public have become rather used to seeing Sampras trudging around court, his shoulders stooped and his tongue lolling. Last year in the US Open he was sick on court during his quarter-final win over Spain's Alex Corretja.

The immediate signs were not good. He dwelt in his chair in between sets like a man whose energy and spirit was seeping out the soles of his shoes. Norman, who in the first round knocked oiit Britain's Greg Rusedski, took full advantage, although by the end of the second set it appeared Sampras, who has won the last two Grand Slams in Melbourne and New York, was perking up.

He won the third but the American was soon shaking his head, despite getting an early break in the fourth, a sure sign that all was not well. Sampras's body language is notoriously difficult to read, as many an opponent has discovered to his cost, but Norman, ranked 65, and never having won a major title, was closing his eyes.

"I had diarrhoea the day before but I started extremely slowly. I felt fine practising but when I started the match I felt totally disoriented. He played well, but I should have beaten him. I'm not making the illness an excuse and I'm still young enough to win this title, although it's going to be tough," said Sampras.

Kafelnikov, the reigning champion, was also in dire trouble on the centre court against France's Cedric Pioline before winning 6-4 in the fifth set.

The Russian had begun brightly enough, taking the first two sets, but then his lack of preparation, having lost three months this year after breaking his finger, told on him. Mighty was his relief at the finish.

"When I lost the third set, I thought I would never make it," said the 23-year-old from the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Kafelnikov, who ruled himself out as a contender before the tournament started, had not dropped a set in his first two matches and this test was probably just what he needed to boost his confidence.

"My physical condition is still not quite what it used to be but it's improving and so is my game, he said.

No such luck for Thomas Muster. He is a man of implacable determination and for two years he utterly dominated the European claycourt circuit, amassing a remarkable record of 111 victories and a mere five defeats in the two seasons of 1995 and 1996, the high point being his victory at Roland Garros two years ago when he defeated Michael Chang 7-5 6-2 6-4.

Briefly Muster climbed to the dizzy heights of the World's number one in February last year, and was immediately barraged with snide remarks by the Americans, notably Andre Agassi, although Sampras was not averse to the sly dig.

Typical of the man, Muster set out to hush their mouths with deeds. He switched to a long-bodied racket to give him even more power and reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January, losing to Sampras but winning begrudging praise from the American.

The Austrian then won the hardcourt tournament in Dubai and eclipsed this with victory at the Lipton championships in Key Biscayne.

It was at this same tournament in Miami eight years earlier that Muster's career was almost finished when, just before the final, he was struck by a drunken driver and the knee ligaments of his left knee severed.

He still cannot fully extend that leg, but this year's victory over Spain's Sergi Bruguera was both triumphal and emotionally cathartic. Little did anybody realise at the time that Muster would find it almost totally impossible to re-adjust to clay. But so it has been, and yesterday he lost in five-sets to the 20-year-old Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten.

Kuerten is a highly gifted player yet in his red pomp Muster, who was 3-0 up in the fifth set, would have slammed the door on his nose.

"He deserved to win, but I should have won that fifth set," said Muster with an air of resigned dismay. But this was as nothing compared to the look on the face of Sampras.