Cédric Kauffmann (born 1 March 1976) is a former professional tennis player from France, most notable for an encounter with Pete Sampras in 2001.
Career
Kauffmann played collegiate tennis at the
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...
, where he now is the head coach of the Men's Team. He was an
All-American every year from 1996 to 1998.
In the
2000 US Open he qualified for the main draw and lost to countryman
Arnaud Di Pasquale
Arnaud Di Pasquale (born 11 February 1979) is a former professional tennis player from France.
Tennis career Juniors
Di Pasquale excelled as a junior, posting a 103–25 record in singles and reaching the No. 1 ranking in December 1997 (and No. ...
in the opening round.
[ATP World Tour Profile]
/ref>
His most memorable match came when, ranked 250th in the world, he came close to upsetting Peter Sampras
Petros "Pete" Sampras ( el, Πέτρος Σάμπρας; born August 12, 1971) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. His professional career began in 1988 and ended at the 2002 US Open, which he won, defeating longtime rival Andre ...
6–3, 4–6, 6–2, 3–6, 8–6 in first round of the 2001 French Open
The 2001 French Open was the second Grand Slam event of 2001 and the 105th edition of the French Open. It took place at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from late May through early June, 2001.
Seniors
Men's singles
Gustavo Kuerten def ...
.[ In the fifth set he was unable to convert three match points, eventually losing 6–8.]['']The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''
"Quicksand Can't Restrain Sampras"
30 May 2001 "The background check on 25-year-old Cédric Kauffmann read like the cover of a false identity. In the details, the blond Frenchman appeared unremarkable on purpose. Kauffmann, the son of a local acupuncturist, passed through the States on a University of Kentucky tennis scholarship." He also competed in the men's doubles at the same event, with Jean-Francois Bachelot, but again exited in the first round
He is married and has 4 kids.
Challenger titles
Singles: (1)
Doubles: (2)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kauffmann, Cedric
1976 births
Living people
French male tennis players
Kentucky Wildcats men's tennis players