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Andre vs. Andrei Agassi finishes off Hrbaty, meets Medvedev in final
Posted: Saturday June 05, 1999 08:44 AM
PARIS (AP) -- Andre Agassi, seeking to make a piece of tennis history, completed a rain-delayed semifinal victory over Dominik Hrbaty Saturday to reach the final of the French Open for the third time. Agassi is bidding to join an exclusive club. Only four men have won all four Grand Slam events in their career -- Don Budge, Rod Laver, Fred Perry and Roy Emerson. Agassi won Wimbledon in 1992, the U.S. Open in 1994 and the Australian Open in 1995. He was twice runnerup at the French Open, in 1990 and 1991. The match, which Agassi won 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 6-4, was suspended by rain Friday with Hrbaty leading 2-1 in the fourth set. In Sunday's championship, Agassi will meet Andrei Medvedev, who is the lowest-ranked player in the Open era to reach the French Open final When play resumed Saturday, Agassi was to serve. He saved two break points and then another in his next service game. Agassi then broke Hrbaty's serve for a 4-3 lead and closed the match in less than half an hour on the court. A former No. 1 in the world, Agassi recovered from a break down in the opening set to win it 6-4, took the second 7-6 (8-6), but lost the third 6-3 and was down 2-1 in the fourth when the match was stopped. The American lost six of the last seven games. "I felt the problem was that when it started raining everything was getting heavier and slower," Agassi said. With both players hitting crisp winners from the baseline in a high-quality match, Agassi appeared in control when he led 3-2 in the third. That's when Hrbaty raised his game and prevented Agassi from sweeping the semifinal in straight sets, which would have likely come before the rain. Agassi said he hits with more spin than Hrbaty and the humidity was affecting his game more, making him lose length on his shots. Although Agassi was eager for the match to stop, Hrbaty had no complaints. "It was beginning to rain hard and they were right to stop it," Hrbaty said. A forehand winner to a corner saved Agassi from dropping his serve in the first game today. He double-faulted in the sixth to give Hrbaty another break point. The 21-year-Slovak followed with three backhand errors and Agassi saved the game. Agassi appeared in a hurry during changeover, tapping his feet and looking eager to close out the match. In the next game, Agassi wasted two break points. But Hrbaty then netted a forehand and sent a backhand long and the American had the vital lead. Friday's portion of the semifinal produced a high-quality match, with both players hitting crisp winners from the baseline. Agassi appeared in control when he led 3-2 in the third. That's when Hrbaty raised his game and prevented Agassi from sweeping the semifinal in straight sets, which would have likely come before the rain.
Agassi also benefited from Hrbaty's lack of experience. Playing in his first Grand Slam tournament semifinal, Hrbaty trailed 6-7 in the second-set tiebreaker when he sent Agassi out of position with a deep forehand. Agassi got it back over the net, but was stuck far on his backhand side. With an open court before him, Hrbaty didn't wait for the ball to bounce but went for a tough, low volley. It sailed long and Agassi had a two-set lead. Agassi saved two set points on his serve at the end of third, but Hrbaty then ripped a great backhand return to stay in the match. Only three more games were played, and all went with serve as the rain began falling harder. The match was the first scheduled for Saturday prior to the women's final between Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis. Medvedev overcame dizziness, cramps and sloppy tennis Friday to defeat Fernando Meligeni 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6). Ranked No. 100 coming into the two-week tournament, Medvedev ousted No. 2 Pete Sampras, 1997 champion Gustavo Kuerten and ended up making his first Grand Slam tournament final. Even he was baffled by his sudden surge. "I can't explain it, it's a minor miracle," the Ukrainian said. "On the other hand, it doesn't fall from the sky. You have to work for it. When you have an opportunity, you've got to take it." A semifinalist at Roland Garros in 1993 and once ranked as high as No. 4 in the world, Medvedev nearly slipped into tennis oblivion, troubled by injuries and life in the fast lane. Medvedev credits his revival at least partly to his renewed relationship with Anke Huber, a German player. He said Huber's advice helped him get through his stage fright before the semifinal. Medvedev had a roller-coaster match, finishing with 85 unforced errors. He trailed 4-0 in the opening set before winning nine of the next 10 games. Up 3-1 in the second set, he lost the next five games. He blew a 4-0 lead in the decisive tiebreaker. But Medvedev saved a set point, and on his first match point sent Meligeni far behind the baseline. He followed with a feathery drop shot that Meligeni could not get on the first bounce. In the women's final, Graf was seeking her sixth French Open title against the 18-year-old Hingis, who ended Graf's 377-week reign as No. 1 in 1997. The French Open is the only title missing from Hingis' Grand Slam collection.
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