New York: Twenty-year-old Australian Lleyton Hewitt played near-perfect tennis to rout four-times champion Pete Sampras 7-6 6-1 6-1 Sunday and lift the U.S. Open crown for the first Grand Slam title of his career.The fourth-seeded Hewitt made Sampras look ordinary on Arthur Ashe Stadium as he raced around the centre court to retrieve whatever the 30-year-old American had to offer.

"It's unbelievable," said Hewitt after receiving the winner's prize of $850,000."I've dreamt of this moment, being out here and playing in a Grand Slam final."Hewitt, unerring with his cracking two-fisted backhand, made only three unforced errors over the last two sets as he left Sampras dazed at the net with the ferocity of his passing shots and dumbfounded at the service line with his dazzling returns.

The lightning-quick Hewitt whipped a backhand crosscourt service return winner to end the stunningly one-sided final in one hour, 54 minutes.Hewitt dropped flat on his back after firing home the winning point. After shaking Sampras's hand at the net, the Australian glided to the players' box and kissed his girlfriend Kim Clijsters, the Belgian runner-up at the French Open.

SEIZED CROWN

"He was unbelievable," Sampras said during the awards ceremony. "The kid is so quick it's unbelievable. Those legs...I wish I had some of those legs for this old guy."It was the second straight year that Sampras lost the final to a 20-year-old foe who made the Grand Slam king suddenly look his age.Last year, Russian Marat Safin roared by Sampras in straight sets to seize the crown. Sampras defeated Hewitt in three tight sets in the 2000 semifinals.

Hewitt's victory put an end to a record-tying run of eight years in a row with at least one Grand Slam victory for Sampras. Sampras had won a Slam in every year since 1992 to tie a mark held by Bjorn Borg.It also stretched Sampras's tournament title drought to 18, dating back to the 2000 Wimbledon championships."I lost to a great champion," Sampras told the crowd of 23,960. "You're going to see this Lleyton Hewitt guy for the next 10 years like you saw me."

"It was a good run... unfortunately I ran into a young guy who was a little too good today."Sampras collected $425,000 as runner-up.

ANNIVERSARY DEFEAT

The Australian beat Sampras, winner of a record 13 career Grand Slam titles, on the 11th anniversary of the American's first major victory in the 1990 U.S. Open."I don't know what I can say," said Hewitt. "I got a bit lucky out there. I got better with every match I played in the last two weeks. It's a real dream come true."Playing in windy conditions, both finalists struggled with their serve at the start.

Sampras, who rode his heavy serve to successive victories over former champions Patrick Rafter, Andre Agassi and Safin, was broken in the first game of the match by Hewitt to end a string of 87 successive service games in a row."That wasn't the start I was looking for," Sampras said. "I wanted to set the tone and put pressure on him."Sampras broke right back at love, the final point coming on a double fault by Hewitt.

"You're not human if you're not nervous playing Pete Sampras in your first Grand Slam final," admitted Hewitt.They stayed on serve through to a tiebreak.Hewitt won the first three points, smacking a service return winner for mini-break on the opening point. Sampras won the next three points to knot it at 3-3 before the turning point of the set.

Chair umpire Norm Chryst overruled a line judge and called a Sampras forehand long to give Hewitt a 4-3 lead. The fourth seed did not squander the edge as he ripped a backhand passing shot for a winner and the last mini-break of the decider.A forehand drive into the net and a backhand long from Sampras finished the tiebreaker in Hewitt's favour, 7-4."That passing shot at 4-3 for the mini-break was big," said Hewitt.

GUTSY CALL

Sampras did not quibble with the umpire's overrule. "It was long for sure, but that was a gutsy call to make."Emboldened by winning the first-set tiebreaker, Hewitt began playing with even more confidence in the second set.The slightly-built Hewitt lost just three points on serve in the second set and broke Sampras twice.Hewitt was just as impressive in the third set as he scampered from corner to corner to cover every angle Sampras tried and made the Grand Slam king look badly out of step."He returned and passed as well as anybody I think I ever played," said Sampras, disappointed but not disheartened.

"I wish I could've given the people a better show," added Sampras. "But I can leave here with my head held high. I think I proved this week I can still win a Slam. There's no question in my mind."Hewitt said he believed Sampras had shown he was far from through, even though he had just handed the American his worst Open defeat since 1989 in the most lopsided final since Jim Courier lost 6-4 6-2 6-0 to Stefan Edberg in 1991.

The 20-year-old Australian, of course, is just beginning his Grand Slam resume and is too young by one year to legally buy a drink in New York to celebrate his first major triumph."I'm going to go home. I'm going to hang out with my mates, then I'm going to prepare for a Davis Cup tie," said Hewitt, eager to get back into the fray for the Cup semifinals against Sweden.