By LEO SCHLINK

PETE Sampras yesterday anointed Mark Philippoussis as a champion-in-waiting, despite a horror

Australian Open draw. The Victorian's road to Melbourne Park glory is potholed with danger and

potential high-stakes clashes.

Sampras and world No. 1 Andre Agassi are two probable obstacles Philippoussis must overcome if he

is to break through at the highest level, but history-seeking Sampras has no doubt the Australian

is capable. "His (Philippoussis's) game has never been a question," said Sampras after losing a tight

Kooyong Classic semi-final 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5) to Philippousais.

"It is just more the mental side of it. He has got all the weapons, the serve and volley and the big

shots on both sides. "It is just a matter of him putting it together at the right time. He is still

going to serve big and go for his shots. He has toned it down a little bit, which is something I think

he needs to do, not hit the ball quite so hard."But he is going to be a serious threat over these next

couple of weeks.

"Many people are looking at him to win a Grand Slam, but he has got many, many years to be a threat in

all the majors and it is going to happen this year or next year." Desperate not to know which seeds

had landed in his half of the draw, Philippoussis resisted the temptation to examine a wretched draw,

preferring instead to focus on a first-round clash with a qualifier.

But it was the lurking presence of Agassi (his projected fourth-round opponent) and Sampras (his possible

semi-final foe), as well as Richard Krajicek, Todd Martin, Thomas Enqvist, Karol Kucera and Tim Henman that

concerned the Philippoussis camp.

"All I know is that I play a qualifier. Please don't tell me anything else," Philippoussis said. `It's going

to be extremely tough, but I'm looking forward to it." The 16th seed, Philippoussis will not know the

identity of his opponent until qualifying is completed this weekend.

If Philippoussis is to become Australia's first champion since Mark Edmondson in 1976, he would need to win

three matches, then upstage Agassi in the fourth round, Martin or Krajicek in the quarters and Sampras,

Kucera, Henman or Enqvist in the semis.

The likely finalist from the weaker bottom half is defending champion Yevgeny Kafelnlkov, Nicolas Kiefer,

Tommy Haas, Cedric Pioline or Lleyton Hewitt.