|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
| ||
|
Men's Tennis
| ||
|
Women's Tennis
| ||
| |
|||
| Sunday, March 18 |
|||
| Agassi wins first title in Indian Wells Associated Press | |||
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – Heading into his 30th match against
Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi called it a memory waiting to happen.
Their Tennis Masters Series final was memorable for him, forgettable
for Sampras.
Agassi, his accurate groundstrokes far more efficient than
Sampras' serve-and-volley game, took a 7-6 (7-5), 7-5, 6-1 victory
for his first title in 13 trips to Indian Wells.
After more than a decade of being half of one of tennis' finest
rivalries, Agassi still relishes the chance to play Sampras. Of
course, beating him makes it even better.
"It's incredible. I've been on the other end of it so many
times with Pete. It's more enjoyable at this stage of my career to
play against him and actually to play well and win a big match,"
said Agassi, at 30 one year older than Sampras.
"I feel proud of the way I played this week, and especially
today. It feels wonderful."
Sampras had beaten Agassi in the 1995 final for the second of
his two titles at the desert event.
Sampras said his rival is at least as good as ever.
"He's playing great, not missing much. He's pretty much at a
level like he was a number of years ago when he was No. 1 in the
world," said Sampras, who still holds a 17-13 overall edge in
their matches, including an 8-6 mark in finals.
"You look at his game five years ago to today, it's the same
game. Maybe he's even in a little bit better shape. He's always
been a great player in my mind," Sampras said.
The two first played on the pro tour as teen-agers, with Agassi
taking that 1989 match 6-2, 6-1 on a clay court in Rome.
He now has won three of the last four matches, including a
five-set victory in the 2000 Australian Open, their last previous
meeting.
Spraying shots long and wide much of the match, Sampras made 49
unforced errors, 39 more than Agassi.
Sampras' normally dominant serve also was ineffective -- he
double-faulted 11 times, wasting his 14-4 edge in aces.
Many of Sampras' problems were, of course, caused by the
pressure of returning Agassi's hard, well-placed groundstrokes, and
also by Agassi's ability to scramble and return volleys.
After neither broke service in the first set, Agassi won the
final two points of the tiebreaker when Sampras hit a forehand out,
then Agassi hit a backhand passing shot down the line to win the
set.
Both continued to hold serve through the first 11 games of the
second set, but Agassi broke Sampras in the 12th. He won the first
point when Sampras volleyed a backhand into the net to end their
brisk half-court rally, then finished the set off with a forehand
return down the right line.
After that, Agassi took command. He broke Sampras in the second
game of the third set, and again in the sixth. Agassi then served
out, closing the match with a service winner.
Agassi won $400,000, Sampras $211,000.
The Tennis Masters Series continues next week at the Ericsson Open in Miami, Fla. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories | |
ALSO SEE Sunday's results Head to head: Andre Agassi vs. Pete Sampras Indian Wells seeds Men's and women's champions at Indian Wells | |
|
|
