| |
Grin and bare it Agassi downs Gimelstob to move into round of 16
Posted: Sunday September 05, 1999 09:46 AM
NEW YORK (AP) -- Bare-chested Andre Agassi is the Pied Piper of the U.S. Open, a center court glamour guy in the absence of No. 1 Pete Sampras and defending champion Patrick Rafter. When he arrives on the grounds of the National Tennis Center to hit on off-days or before his matches, Agassi leads a merry parade to the practice courts and sheds his shirt, unveiling a chest that is every bit as bare as his shaved head. "I just got tired of being hairy," he explained. The crowd loves it. So when Agassi dropped a set to unseeded Justin Gimelstob on Saturday, there was a bit of a gasp from his assembled congregation. Not to worry. He restored order, riding his big save and bigger return to a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory that sent him into the second week of the Open. When it was over, and he was safely in the round of 16, Agassi blew kisses to the crowd and then paid the ultimate compliment to Gimelstob. As the 22-year-old American sat in his chair, Agassi gathered his gear and strolled over. "C'mon," he said. "We're gonna walk off together." And they did. "I kind of always feel at center court, that's the proper protocol," Agassi said, "especially after a good match." And Gimelstob gave him that, refusing to wilt under an early blitz. He bounced back to win the second set, but eventually Agassi wore him down. "I'm proud the way I competed," Gimelstob said. Agassi was low-key about the victory. "I was a little disappointed with how I lost my serve," he said. "That can happen. He had a good presence out there. He was standing in tight. He was taking some good cuts at it. He got the break and took care of it." At that point, Gimelstob was pumped up, all even after two sets, the upset in his mind. And then Agassi just ground him down. At one point, Gimelstob complained to the chair over a blimp that was peeking in on the action at center court. Agassi chuckled over that. "I thought he was struggling with it," Agassi said. "I only know a couple of people in New York who get that blimp moved, and it's not Justin." Agassi nudged Gimelstob out of the way, advancing to the second week of the Open. "I did what I needed to do," Agassi said. "I felt pretty good." It has been that kind of summer for him. He was a surprise winner of the French Open, his fourth Grand Slam title, and then reached the finals at Wimbledon before losing to Sampras. He has won 31 of his last 35 matches and with the departure of Sampras and Rafter, he is the only former U.S. Open champion still in the tournament. Perhaps the only obstacle on Agassi's road to the final is No. 12 Richard Krajicek, who could be waiting for him in the semifinals. They have split six previous meetings and Krajicek, the 1996 Wimbledon champ who is equipped with the ingredients to prosper on hard courts, advanced with a 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 victory over John van Lottum on Saturday. So what did Krajicek think of a potential pairing with Agassi, the people's choice in Flushing Meadows? "First, I have to get there," he said. "I have proven in the past that if I play well, I can beat anybody. If come next Saturday I'm still here and Andre's still here, we can have a good match." Krajicek, however, is dealing with first things first. "This is the first time in a long time that I've won three matches in a row," he said. "I must try to make it four after this." That has not been a problem for Agassi in this summer of success.
| |||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 1999 CNN/SI. A Time Warner Company. Terms under which this service is provided to you.
| |||||||||||||||||
