Tennis

Agassi outduels Blake

The upstart dominates early but the veteran stages a comeback capped by a tense tiebreaker and reaches semis.

By KEITH NIEBUHR
Published September 8, 2005

NEW YORK - So overpowering, so complete, so in control.

James Blake was not to be denied.

He knew it, the crowd knew it, and well, it appeared that for awhile even his opponent, Andre Agassi, knew it.

But just like the cruel kid who tied the fishing line to a dollar bill, threw it on the ground, waited for some unsuspecting soul to pick it up and then gleefully yanked it away from the person who did, Agassi swiped victory from Blake. On a night that could have served as Blake's coming-out party, Agassi stunned the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd of 22,824 Wednesday with a 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) comeback victory in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open. When it ended, the crowd gave the players a standing ovation and an ecstatic Agassi graciously bowed.

"I don't know if I've ever felt this good here," Agassi said.

Agassi next plays Robby Ginepri, a 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 winner over No. 8 Guillermo Coria, in one Saturday semifinal. The other semifinalists will be determined today: No. 1 Roger Federer, the defending champion, faces No. 11 David Nalbandian, while 2004 runnerup Lleyton Hewitt, the third seed, meets unseeded Jarkko Nieminen of Finland.

Blake was in command early, and after breaking Agassi in the seventh game of the opening set seemed to be on his way. On several points, he overpowered Agassi, making him look every bit his age (35). On others, Agassi made uncharacteristic miscues, the type he is known for avoiding.

But Agassi erased the mistakes in the third and fourth sets to fight his way back. And in the back-and-forth tiebreaker, he crushed a forehand winner on his second match point.

"It was fun to compete, I generally don't have a lot of fun losing, but this was a whole lot of fun playing," Blake said. "This is incredible."

Before the Open, Ginepri was known more for his self-described "fling" with actor Minnie Driver than for his play. But with three straight five-set upsets of seeded players, his dating habits have taken a back seat to his quest for the title.

"I think I'm making my name with tennis," Ginepri said. "I don't think it has really sunk in yet. I'm just overwhelmed right now. Just exhausted."

The unheralded and unseeded Ginepri, 22, was born in Fort Lauderdale and currently lives near Atlanta. He entered the year with a career losing record (61-62) in ATP Tour matches, and even though he claimed his second career title back in July came to the Open ranked just 46th.

But in five matches, the first two of which he won with relative ease, Ginepri has reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the first time. Not only had he never advanced beyond the fourth round of a major but he was dropped in his first match this year at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon.

"Ginepri has been playing very well," Coria said through a translator. "This match must have got him tired for the next match. But just being in the semifinal will probably get him motivated to play well."

Wednesday's tussle was a struggle for both as the momentum shifted throughout. In the frenetic fifth set, the crowd grew increasingly anxious with every point. Coria, could have forced a fifth-set tiebreaker, but in game No. 12 produced two straight double faults to end it.

[Last modified September 8, 2005, 01:50:14]