Agassi wins Cincinnati Masters for third time

[ipacmm]

Just got back from this match.

Link

MASON, Ohio (AP) -- A resurgent Andre Agassi defeated tenth-seeded Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 on Sunday to win the Cincinnati Masters tournament.

Agassi, the 11th seed, beat 21-year-old Andy Roddick in the semifinals, then wore down the 23-year-old Australian Sunday. He broke Hewitt's serve three times, after Hewitt had been broken only once in five matches.

Hewitt had problems with his serve in the first set. With Agassi leading 3-2, Hewitt was serving 40-0 but lost four straight points before rallying to tie the set at 3. Two games later, he lost the first point by double-faulting, then hit the deciding point into the net to put Agassi up 5-3.

Still, Agassi had trouble putting away the set. Serving 15-40, he won the next four points, including a 120-mph ace.

In the second set, Hewitt broke Agassi to take a 5-3 lead. Agassi seemed to be regaining the pinpoint placement that had gotten better with each match, but his shot on game point was a fraction wide, and Hewitt raised his fists to his chest and let out a scream. He then served out the set to even the match.

Agassi broke Hewitt again in the third set to take a 3-1 lead, and Hewitt double faulted on match point.

That made Agassi, at 34, the oldest ATP Tour winner since Jimmy Connors won consecutive titles at Toulouse and Tel Aviv when he was 37 in 1989.

The win is Agassi's first in 17 months. He hadn't reached an ATP final since November at the Tennis Masters Cup. He earned $400,000 with the win, almost twice his earnings so far this year.

Hewitt won titles earlier this year at Sydney and Rotterdam.

Agassi had played much more tennis than Hewitt this week, and had a shorter rest after a grueling three-set win over second-seeded Roddick on Saturday night.

Agassi had played three, three-game sets while beating three seeded players, while Hewitt hadn't lost a set during the weeklong tournament.

Saturday's victory over Roddick moved Agassi into fifth place on the career list with his 807th win, passing Stefan Edberg.

Agassi has reached the finals at an ATP event 87 times and has 59 titles, the most of any active player. He fell out of the Top 10 last week for the first time since May 1999.

The win evened his record against Hewitt at 4-4. In their last match, Agassi beat Hewitt in three sets in the quarterfinals of the 2002 U.S. Open.

 

[windowsblowsass]

agassi was playing amzing tenis this weekend, especially against roddick.

 

[ipacmm]

agassi was playing amzing tenis this weekend, especially against roddick.

Yea, I know...I was there for that match also, it was unbelievable. Best match I've seen.

 

[virividox]

hey may be old but he sure is in great form

 

[Vector]

I was amazed when i saw this, especially once i read who he beat to get to the finals. Agassi's matches are always fun to watch. I am always impressed when he turns himself around like this and beats so many top players after losing to players far below him. He does a good job of being able to forget his losses and come back.

 

[craigdawg]

Hewitt-Agassi is an awesome matchup because they're both baseline gunners who move well and chase down balls. One of the greatest matches I've ever seen was when Hewitt came back to beat Agassi in the 2002 Siebel Open final. Hewitt was way off in 2003 so it was nice to see him do well in a big tourney.

Can't wait for the US Open!