Sampras gives Queen's a miss

Pete Sampras the greatest grass court player the game has seen, has turned his back on the Stella Artois tournament at Queen's and opted to prepare for Wimbledon by competing at Halle in Germany.

Sampras, 30, beaten in the Queen's semifinal for the past two years, appears to be trying to freshen up his normal programme after a first round exit at the French Open here.

The American had asked Queen's to keep a wild card for him but that will now be handed to someone else.

The 13 times Grand Slam champion lost to eventual champion Lleyton Hewitt at Queen's last year and then saw his 31-match unbeaten run at Wimbledon halted by Switzerland's Roger Federer in the fourth round.

Ian Wight, tournament director of the Stella Artois, said: "Whatever personal demons Pete is fighting at the moment, I suspect that, more than anything else, he feels he needs a couple of wins under his belt. I guess he feels those are more likely at Halle than at the Stella Artois."

Fourth-seed Andre Agassi was in trouble against 11th seed Juan Carlos Ferrero in his quarter-final here today. He trailed 2-5 in the first set before a heavy rain storm stopped play.