Everyone who cares about the Davis Cup had it figured, would be about as competitive as the Lakers and the Eastern Conference.

In Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, the U.S. had Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant going two-on-two against Chris Childs and Charlie Ward. The Czech Republic had the hopeless appearance of Wisconsin at the Final Four, to take the hoops reference one small step further.

For the enjoyment of all his friends and family members who made the trip to the old house on Manchester and Prairie, Sampras, the hometown kid who conquered the world, wanted to put on a show worthy of the '80s Lakers he cheered to five NBA titles.

Ah, but a funny thing happened on the way to a Forum party.

Jiri Novak showed up with serious intentions and a flawless baseline game, and he slam-dunked Sampras.

Luckily for the Yanks, Agassi held up his end of the deal, taking out Slava Dosedel to make sure everyone comes back on Sunday, after the doubles teams slug it out this afternoon.

"He's a great team guy, in addition to being a great player," U.S. captain John McEnroe said of Agassi, an amazing 29-5 in Davis Cup play. "This guy came off the Australia Open, won that, came to Zimbabwe (for the first round of Davis Cup play) . . . the schedule's insane.

"This is the type of situation that brings out the best in Andre. He's saving himself for me and the Davis Cup. To hell with the other tournaments. I'll let him win the majors."

Johnny Mac was laughing now. Earlier, watching Sampras, he wanted to cry.

Pete never got his game in gear, giving meaning to Agassi and Novak in the opening match on Sunday. For redemption purposes, Sampras no doubt hopes it all comes down to his match with Dosedel, a potential grand finale.

I mean, Slava is no Novak, and Pete can't possibly play any worse than he did in dropping a straight-sets stunner to the unflappable 6-foot-3 Czech.

Before I proceed, I probably should point out, by way of confession, that I'm half-Czech. My mother's parents came to the new world from the old country. That's not all. My mother's maiden name is Novak. So, if there's a subtle anti-American tone in all this, please excuse my roots.

Once a Novak, always a Novak, I suppose -- even if you're only half a Novak.

Someone asked if I spoke his language while Jiri was addressing the media, and I had to confess that the only words I knew were not fit for print, to say nothing of dialogue with a fellow who, as Sampras put it, had just played "the match of his life."

Novak, 25, smoked Pistol Pete every which way, with his serve, his forehand and backhand, with soft drop shots, sizzling passing shots. Jiri did everything but kick it over the net.

You don't often see a guy fight off 11 break points in two sets while owning only one of his own -- and lead the match, two sets to none. But that's what Jiri managed with a little of that old-fashioned Novak magic.

It easily could have been 4-0, Pete, in the first set, a Sampras rout on. But Novak somehow held his ground, and his serve, after getting down 15-40 and love-40 in the second and fourth games.

"This is one of the best players in the world," Novak said. "Maybe one, two points can turn the match around."

Sampras certainly realized he let Novak escape, failing to draw momentum from the crowd numbering 11,206.

By the time that critical first-set tiebreaker rolled around, Novak had solved Pete's serve and was painting the lines with forehands from the baseline.

Sampras, unraveling gradually, complained a few times about calls. But Pete realizes he had nobody to blame but his own bad self for this stunner.

Novak had only 12 unforced errors to 31 by Sampras. Jiri hit 67 percent of his first serves, Pete only 58 percent. Novak made shots Sampras couldn't believe, "amazing passing shots," Pete said. Sampras made shots he also couldn't believe he made.

When you talk about improbable Davis Cup outcomes, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3, 6-2, Novak over Sampras, goes right up near the top.

"I was surprised he could sustain that," U.S. captain John McEnroe said of Jiri, a player he hardly knew before Friday. "His effort level is there, but it doesn't appear it is. He sort of floats around and slaps at balls.

"At 4-1 in the first-set tiebreaker, Novak hit a shot, a floating backhand angle shot. I don't think Pete expected it to go over. That was the nail in the coffin, so to speak.

"We were both caught off guard. We're not going to make that mistake again."

McEnroe, for once, was fairly speechless in the opener, proving conclusively how stunning Novak's triumph was.

"You're talking about two of the greatest players ever to play tennis," McEnroe said, and he wasn't referring to Novak and Dosedel. "That's why there's pressure on these guys. It's not easy to motivate them when you're not around them that often."

In the 1992 Davis Cup finals, McEnroe won a doubles match with Sampras in Fort Worth. But coaching Pete, trying to find the right buttons to push, is an entirely new experience. Agassi was in Zimbabwe for the first-round victory, but Sampras was a no-show, inviting Johnny Mac's criticism in the process.

"This is the first time I sat with Pete as coach," McEnroe said. "Certainly I felt I could have done better, no question."

Novak, ranked 53rd in the world and owner of only two singles titles, was so nondescript to Sampras, Pete was sketchy with details of his victory over Jiri the only previous time they'd been matched, in the 1996 U.S. Open.

Novak had no trouble recalling the long, compelling match that Sampras claimed in a 6-4 fifth set. In fact, Jiri used it to fuel him at the Forum.

"I was playing against the No. 1 player in Flushing Meadows," Novak said. "I was remembering that match today, trying to play the same as four years ago."

Sampras won't have any trouble remembering Novak.

Published 4/8/2000