Agassi wins third Mercedes-Benz title

By Elizabeth Newman
DAILY BRUIN CONTRIBUTOR
[email protected]

MARY HOLSCHER/Daily Bruin Staff

Rising American player Taylor Dent returns a
shot in his 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 Round 2 loss to Xavier
Malisse on July 24.

Jan-Michael Gambill left plenty of scuff marks on Stadium Court
at UCLA’s Los Angeles Tennis Center during the final match of
the Mercedes-Benz Cup against Andre Agassi on July 28.

Agassi won 6-2, 6-4 and dominated the match with shots that kept
Gambill constantly running. Gambill later said Agassi’s shots
made him feel “like a rag doll.”

“Andre’s playing better tennis than ever,”
Gambill said after the match. “He is in great shape, and he
has great hands.”

Agassi’s “great hands” capitalized on
Gambill’s weak backhand ground strokes and volleys, shots
that Gambill often attempted but many times sent into the net. In
the last game of the first set, Agassi won three points off
Gambill’s backhand side ““ after a winner put Agassi up
30-15 in the last game of the first set, it was clear Agassi was in
control of the match.

Gambill played solid tennis, but his game faltered in the second
set. His 26 unforced errors were fatal compared to Agassi’s
16. And Agassi’s five of six net approaches seemed stellar
next to Gambill’s four of ten.

Gambill’s confidence, however, remains high as he, like
many other pros, counts the weeks until the U.S. Open.

“I was never frustrated out there,” said Gambill.
“I think I played a great match.

“Andre’s short ground strokes move the ball very
well … he is the best ground stroker.”

Gambill’s serve remained strong throughout the match. He
won the first game in straight points, two of which were aces, the
last at 119 miles per hour.

But the sun made his strong point weak. He was broken twice in
the first set, both times when he was serving into the sun. Agassi
was only broken once in the match, at 4-3 in the second set. At
deuce, a backhand crosscourt winner by Gambill gave him the
advantage, and he finished the game with another crosscourt, which
dropped short on Agassi’s forehand side and sent the crowd
cheering for minutes.

Agassi’s control and ability to keep Gambill running and
out of position proved too good for Gambill to overcome.

“My footwork’s getting better,” Gambill said,
“but Andre still seems to direct it to the other side of the
court.

“He played a better game than I did,” Gambill
said.

Agassi was not fooled once in the one hour and 16 minutes it
took him to win his third Mercedes-Benz title. It was his first
hard court tournament of the summer and came on the heels of a
second-round loss at Wimbledon.

“(Gambill) fought hard,” Agassi said. “I felt
like (attacking) was the only thing to do. That was my intention
and I didn’t see it any other way.”

Despite murmurs around the tennis world of his advancing age,
Agassi seemed to prove doubters wrong with this win and brushed off
the idea of his career coming to a close.

“I think it’s about being healthy, not 32. I train
hard, so it’s not surprising I feel good.”

His veteran status, however, also brings praise from critics
that put him next to other tennis greats such as Arthur Ashe, Roy
Emerson and Jimmy Connors.

“Anytime you’re considered the best in anything is
the ultimate compliment,” Agassi said.

As far as celebrating, he wasn’t too sure on what he was
going to do.

“Sometimes it feels good to take a rest or to have a few
beers … and sometimes it’s great to get back on that court
and feel it again,” Agassi said.