STEPHEN WADE
AP Sports Writer 

LONDON (AP) - Yevgeny Kafelnikov isn't a bit shy about taking Pete Sampras' No. 1 world ranking. 

Kafelnikov can dislodge Sampras this week in London's Guardian Direct indoor tournament, in which he defeated Magnus Gustafsson of Sweden 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 Tuesday in an opening-round match. 

With Sampras taking the week off, Kafelnikov could take over No. 1 by reaching the semifinals. He's guaranteed of doing it - and becoming only the 15th player to hold the spot since the ranking were begun in 1973 - if he reaches Sunday's final. 

Even if the Russian slips up, he said his time has come. 

Kafelnikov has a new coach in Larry Stefanki, a new attitude and more motivation. He won the
Australian Open three weeks ago - his second Grand Slam - and an indoor tournament last week in Rotterdam. 

``I know that if it doesn't happen this week, I know this year I will get there,'' said Kafelnikov, who turned 25 last week. ``I do feel confident, I do feel like I'm playing as well as I have ever played. I'm very fresh in my mind - and I'm eager. 

``You don't see this happen very often, that somebody gets to No. 1 and tries to take a spot that belonged to Pete Sampras for six years.'' 

Sampras has held the No. 1 spot for 260 weeks, but not consecutively. Last season he lost the spot twice to Chilean Marcelo Rios, who spent six weeks as No. 1. 

Kafelnikov admires Sampras and his ``incredible record of six years finishing as No. 1,'' but still thinks the 27-year-old American may be near the end as he tries to win one more Grand Slam to match Roy Emerson's record of 12. 

``He (Sampras) is trying to win as many slams as possible, but his time is running out,'' Kafelnikov said. ``And I think it was a bad mistake for him not to come (to Australia). I'm sure if he would have come he would probably have won it," says the humble Ausstralian Open Champion.

Kafelnikov would become the first Russian to hold the No. 1 ranking and the first player from the former Eastern Bloc to do it since Ilie Nastase and Ivan Lendl. 

Last season, Petr Korda of the Czech Republic had several chances to claim No. 1 but failed each time. 

``I'm getting a lot of TV time lately (in Russia) because people are following my results because it has never happened before in Russian tennis,'' he said. 

Is he bigger than soccer? 

``Right now at this stage, yes, I think I am,'' he said. ``We have suffered major damage in this sport, which is really the main sport in Russia.''