U.S. Overwhelms Italy

The 1-2 punch of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, the Nos. 1 and 2 players in the world, and their top-ranked doubles teammates beat overmatched Italy and moved the United States into the Davis Cup semifinals against Sweden.

Playing a match delayed a day by rain, Sampras defeated Renzo Furlan 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 6-0. Then, Richey Reneberg and Jared Palmer defeated Stefano Pescosolido and Cristian Brandi 6-1, 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 6-3.

Following Agassi’s straight-set victory Friday, it gave the United States an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the best-of-5 series, making today’s final two singles meaningless.

The U.S. will play Sweden in the semifinals Sept. 22-24 in the United States, on a hard court and possibly at Las Vegas, Agassi’s hometown.

Defending champion Sweden clinched its match with Austria, and Germany and Russia took 2-1 leads over the Netherlands and South Africa, respectively, with the winners to meet in the other semifinal.