By KEITH NIEBUHR, Times Staff Writer
Published September 9, 2005
NEW YORK - About an hour after Wednesday ended and Thursday began, James Blake smashed a serve that cut through the cool New York air and dodged Andre Agassi's racket to send their thrilling U.S. Open quarterfinal to a fifth-set tiebreaker. As the ecstatic fans inside Arthur Ashe Stadium rose and cheered, Blake let out a sigh, smiled, looked toward the sky and thought to himself, "Life's good, man."
Indeed it was.
Only a year ago, the Tampa resident had lived through a dreadful stretch marked by injury, ailment and death. He fractured vertebrae in his neck after running into a net post during practice. A few months later, he was stricken with shingles, which left part of his face temporarily paralyzed. Adding to the misery was his father's death.
Now, he was on center court.
And center stage.
"Having my friends watching me, my coach, all my buddies, I mean, it just I was just thinking, This is what I play tennis for," Blake said. "This is what I missed last year. Right now, this is what I live for, playing in those moments."
At 1:09 a.m. Thursday, Blake's magical ride ended.
After an emotional two hours and 51 minutes, Agassi, a player whom Blake idolized as a child and befriended as an adult, powered a forehand down the line on his second match point to cap a dramatic 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) victory. In his postmatch news conference, Agassi called the experience, "pretty amazing," and many in the audience nodded.
While Blake fell a few shots short, his energy, passion and sometimes astonishing shotmaking skills were displayed in a match that likely will forever live in Open lore. He came to New York as an unheralded wild card. He leaves having won the Big Apple's heart.
"I did everything I could," Blake said.
Blake's comeback story is befitting of a Broadway script. During his struggles of 2004, he had no idea if he would play again. His ranking, once as high as No. 22, plummeted. He began this year at No. 94 and fell into the 200s. Once completely healthy, he refined his game and rebuilt his confidence playing in lower-tier events much like Agassi did years ago. In early August, Blake reached the final of an event in Washington. A few weeks later, he won his second career title.
He was playing with a sense of calm.
He was starting to believe in himself.
At the Open Blake quickly emerged as a player to watch after beating 28th-seeded Greg Rusedski in a straight-set opener. Two rounds later against Spaniard Rafael Nadal, the second seed whom many believed could challenge for the title, Blake finished off the match with a 6-1 fourth set.
"I've beaten some top players," Blake said. "So I believed I could. I think earlier in my career, probably before last year, I felt like I would have had to really play above myself to get there. Now, I feel like I can do it playing within myself."
Against Agassi, Blake surged ahead early, stunning both his foe and the crowd with a combination of blistering forehands, crisp backhands and well-positioned serves that dragged the 35-year-old legend across the court and forced him into hitting many ugly losers. As Blake dominated, Agassi looked lost and only 62 minutes into the match Blake led two sets to none. In the third, he quickly gained a break.
"He was really hitting the ball clean and big and making me feel like I was a step behind on all my shots," Agassi said. "I was real frustrated."
But not finished.
Agassi began playing every point as if it were his last. As the pace on Agassi's shots increased and his accuracy improved, the rallies grew more intense. After a couple of Agassi breaks, the rout had become a match for the ages.
Down the stretch, each player battled for everything, giving the match the feel of a championship prizefight. Each fantastic shot was followed by another. Neither man could seize control. The other simply wouldn't allow it.
In the tiebreaker, Blake led 3-0, but before long it was 3-all. He went ahead 5-4, then fell behind 6-5. On Agassi's first match point, Blake stayed alive with a forehand winner and the stadium erupted. Two points later, though, Agassi ended it.
"I fought my heart out," Blake said.
SHOES FOR KATRINA: Blake and Lindsay Davenport are the latest players to donate items to help raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina. The shoes Blake wore in his match Wednesday will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to the American Red Cross hurricane relief efforts.
Instead of hawking programs, students asked fans to help those suffering on the Gulf Coast. In just a week, a handful of juniors from Dwight-Englewood School in New Jersey raised almost $50,000 for the Red Cross.
That will supplement the $500,000 promised by the USTA. The students wanted to help and approached the Red Cross and the USTA.
"It was the perfect venue," said volunteer Michael Miura.
Information from Times wires was used in this report.
