MELBOURNE, Australia -- Andre Agassi should be pleased. He got some extra practice for the Australian Open along with a spot in the final of the Colonial Classic.

"That's what this event is all about," Agassi said after his 1-hour, 42-minute 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Thomas Enqvist. "You've got the top guys out there working hard trying to get challenged like that. It was a good day for both of us, great tennis."

	Andre Agassi might be headed for a showdown with Pete Sampras after he finished off Thomas Enqvist on Thursday.

Thursday's victory put Agassi into the final of the eight-man invitational tournament where he will take on Mark Philippoussis.

"It was a great opportunity to take a step forward in my preparation" for the Australian Open, Agassi said. "The tennis felt really good. I don't have a lot of complaints. I feel strong, I feel like I was moving well, I feel like I'm working my serve well, picking up the serve pretty well."

Enqvist, who lost to Yevgeny Kafelnikov in last year's Australian Open final, picked Agassi as the favorite to win this year, noting that he has been playing more tennis recently than Sampras, who fell from No. 1 to No. 3 last year, partly because of a back injury.

But the fourth-ranked Enqvist also rated himself a contender, saying, "I've been feeling pretty consistent and playing well. I hope I can continue."

Agassi earned a long ovation late in the match for chasing down a sharply angled crosscourt volley and hitting a backhand passing shot down the line on a dead run, forcing him to dive over a courtside barrier.

The U.S. and French Open champion appeared headed for a quick victory when he reached a break point in the second set's ninth game. But Enqvist, who came in with a 4-2 record against Agassi, held, and three games later, Enqvist broke Agassi for the set.

Agassi led 40-15 in the 12th game, but errors by the American gave Enqvist the set.

Agassi had to save five break points in his first two service games of the final set, but then broke Enqvist in the fifth game, finishing it off with a forehand down the line. He ended the match with an ace.

Last year, Agassi lost to Vincent Spadea in the fourth round of the Australian Open before regaining the No. 1 ranking after falling as low as 141st in 1997.

In other matches Thursday, Kafelnikov, ranked second at the end of last season, lost his second match of this event, falling 6-3, 6-4 to No. 10 Richard Krajicek in a losers' bracket match, while sixth-ranked Nicolas Kiefer beat Wayne Ferreira 6-1, 6-4.

With the courts and balls playing faster than last year in Australia, Kafelnikov said, "It is not fun when you're playing guys like Philippoussis and Krajicek, who are bombing aces in double digits every single time."

Philippoussis hit 25 aces in beating Kafelnikov on Wednesday. Krajicek hit 13 Thursday.