Tennis: Five up as Sampras routs Roux

PETE SAMPRAS, the world No 1, easily overcame the qualifier, Lionel Roux, of France, to win the Salem Open in Osaka, Japan, yesterday. The 22-year-old crushed Roux, 6-2, 6-2, to take his fifth title this year, the 25th of his career.

Roux, ranked No 210 in the world before the tournament, had put on an impressive show during the week, beating Ivan Lendl, Aaron Krickstein, the sixth-seeded American, and Henrik Holm, of Sweden. His performance took him up to the 120s in the rankings.

The South African Open will continue to be staged in Sun City despite poor crowds at the inaugural event, which was won yesterday by Markus Zoecke, who beat his fellow- German, Hendrik Dreekman, 6-4, 6-1. 'We got involved from a long-term standpoint and we want to build the event in the same way that we built the Million Dollar Golf Challenge,' a spokesman for the organisers said.