If you are not in the top 32 you are subject to play anyone in the first round. Phillipousis' ranking has dropped below 32, so his name was put into the hat with the other 95 players who were not seeded. Luck of the draw put him against Sampras and, as it turned out, that was unfortunate for Pete who lost to Phillipousis 8-6 in the fifth set. There are 5 levels of pro tournaments for the men. The lowest level is called satellites, followed by futures, challengers, ATP events and Grand Slam tournaments.
Satellites are a four-week series of four tournaments.
Players play the first three weeks and, according to how far they get, accumulate circuit points. The 32 players with the most circuit points get invited to the fourth week. At the end of that tournament the circuit points are tabulated and ATP points are awarded accordingly. Satellites are for players just starting out on the Tour and who have no points or just a few. Also, players with a higher ranking but are coming back from an injury and haven't played in a few weeks choose to play satellites.