Tennis

Ace record not enough to beat Agassi

Joachim Johansson, the No.11 seed from Sweden, set a tour mark for aces in a match with 51 in a four-set loss.

MELBOURNE, Australia - Joachim Johansson's record-breaking serve on Sunday left Andre Agassi standing in awe.

The 11th-seeded Johansson finished with 51 aces, breaking Richard Krajicek's ATP Tour record of 49 in a quarterfinal at the 1999 U.S. Open. But it wasn't enough for the Swede as Agassi won in four sets.

Johansson hit a second serve ace at 135 mph to take the first set in a tiebreaker.

"It's not fun," Agassi said of facing that serve. "It's very uncomfortable. You just have to admire it while you're out there because there's just not a whole lot you can do when destiny is in somebody's hands that extremely."

Agassi, the No.8 seed, reached the quarterfinals anyway with a 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 victory, thanks in part to Johansson's 66 unforced errors.

At times Agassi could only walk from one side of the court to the other and pounce on misfires.

"He's a great player - he's one of the best players of all time," Johansson said. "I mean, if he respects me, it's a good feeling for me. I couldn't have played better - I wanted to go all the way, but I can't be disappointed."

Each ace meant 100 Australian dollars for a Sydney innercity tennis charity.

[Last modified January 24, 2005, 01:32:09]