Pete Sampras recovered from a set down to beat fellow retired American Andre Agassi in an exhibition match in Macau.

The three set victory was the first meeting between the two since the 2002 US Open final.

The latest chapter of one of the greatest rivalries in tennis did not reach the same heights as their previous epic encounters, which included five grand slam finals, as Sampras came through 3-6 6-3 10-8 in just over an hour at the Venetian Macao Showdown.

Agassi edged the first set in 27 minutes with a solitary break in the fourth game, but Sampras responded with a much-improved performance in the second to prevail in 21 minutes to send the match to a decider with also a single break in the third game.

And in the third, a first to 10 championship tie-break, Sampras, who holds a 20-14 lifetime record over Agassi, was always ahead and despite a late rally from Agassi, capped the win with an emphatic ace.

Sampras said: "Andre just hits the ball so cleanly even after being retired for three years. The pace of his shots is just very heavy.

"Today he was serving great, I think he even out-aced me. It was a pleasure playing him, he is a great player with a great return of serve.

"I got off to a slow start, Andre was hitting it hard in the warm-up. Whenever I played Andre if I wasn't on it I was going to lose. Back in the day, I could beat some of the guys when not playing well, but Andre doesn't give you any room to breathe."

After claiming his 14th grand slam title with his win over Agassi at Flushing Meadows in 2002, Sampras retired although the 38-year-old played on the ATP seniors tour last year.

Eight-time grand slam winner Agassi, 39, retired in 2006, but made a one-off appearance at a seniors event in Arizona earlier this month, where he lost to fellow American Todd Martin in straight sets in the final.

"It brought back a lot of memories for me. I haven't been playing a terrible amount but when you see Pete it all comes back to you pretty quickly," said Agassi.

"It's nice to be so familiar with someone's game that you can think of a couple of specific things and concentrate on those and it all came back even with the ace at the end.

"Pete's hands are the same as they have always been, he has always had a great feeling for the ball. He surprised me how many pick-ups he made, it was like it just came naturally.

"Ball striking has always been my strength, while Pete's ability to feel the ball on the racquet is unparalleled. It was all obvious tonight, you have to be careful with your choice of shot and he certainly had my full attention."