TENNIS ROUNDUP : Sampras to Face Leconte in Rematch of Davis Cup

Top-seeded Pete Sampras and second-seeded Guy Forget advanced to the quarterfinals of the Nice Open with straight-set victories Thursday.

Sampras defeated former French Open champion Andres Gomez of Ecuador, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5, and Forget defeated German Lopez of Spain, 6-2, 6-3.

In other second-round play, Henri Leconte beat Tomas Carbonell, 6-3, 6-1, and seventh-seeded Javier Sanchez of Spain beat Nickolas Kulti of Sweden, 6-1, 6-2.

Leconte plays Sampras in the quarterfinals today. Leconte beat Sampras in a crucial Davis Cup match last December in Lyon when France upset the United States in the final.

Second-seeded Andre Agassi beat Italy’s Claudio Pistolesi, 6-1, 6-2, in a second-round match in the USTA clay courts championships at Tampa, Fla.

Agassi needed only 57 minutes to set up a quarterfinal meeting with unseeded Franco Davin, a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 winner over Jean-Philippe Fleurian.

Fourth-seeded Jaime Yzaga of Peru also reached the quarterfinals by defeating unseeded Jacco Eltingh, 6-4, 6-4. Yzaga meets unseeded Mark Woodforde, who advanced by beating Todd Witsen, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 6-3.

Michael Chang, seeded second, defeated fellow American Jim Grabb, 6-2, 6-4, and Brad Gilbert, No. 4, defeated Michiel Schapers of the Netherlands, 7-5, 6-3, in the second round of the Hong Kong Open.

Shuzo Matsuoka of Japan outlasted 1991 finalist Wally Masur of Australia, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, and also made the quarterfinals along with sixth-seeded Jan Siemerink of the Netherlands, who defeated Germany’s Bernd Karbacher, 7-5, 7-5.

Third-seeded Zina Garrison ended the upset dreams of 14-year-old Iva Majoli of Croatia with a 6-3, 6-4 quarterfinals victory in the Virginia Slims of Houston.

Majoli, a wild-card entry who upset fifth-seeded Lori McNeil in a second round-match at the $350,000 event, offered little resistance in the first set. She stiffened slightly in the second set.

Bettina Fulco-Villella of Argentina defeated eighth-seeded Magdalena Maleeva of Bulgaria, 6-4, 6-3, and will face Monica Seles in a quarterfinal match.

Seventh-seeded Sandra Cecchini of Italy beat Sabine Hack of Germany, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-3).