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Richard Krajicek is a Dutch former professional tennisplayer. In 1996 he won the men's singles title at Wimbledon, the only Dutch player to have done so. In the quarterfinals of that tournament he defeated Pete Sampras. This was Sampras' only singles defeat at Wimbledon between 1993 and 2000.
In 1992, the 6' 5" Dutchman reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open. Coming to Wimbledon in 1996, Krajicek had never previously progressed beyond the fourth round, and had lost in the first round in the two previous years. He was seen a player with potential, having one of the fastest serves at the time, but was not considered to be a strong contender for the title. He beat former champion Michael Stich in the fourth round, and met Sampras in the quarter-finals. By that time, he had managed to turn his notably weak slice backhand into an aggressive top-spin shot. Krajicek shocked the tennis world by defeating Sampras in straight sets 7–5, 7–6(3), 6–4, becoming the only player to beat Sampras in a Wimbledon singles match in the eight-year period from 1993 until Sampras' fourth-round loss to Roger Federer in the 2001 tournament. Next he beat Australia's Jason Stoltenberg in the semifinals, and went on to face American MaliVai Washington in the final. He won the final in straight sets 6–3, 6–4, 6–3 to become the first Dutchman to win Wimbledon.
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