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All-American Agassi, Martin advance to final
Posted: Saturday September 11, 1999 08:30 PM
NEW YORK (AP) -- Andre Agassi took aim at Yevgeny Kafelnikov's weak backhand as if throwing darts at a bull's eye to reach his third straight Grand Slam final at the U.S. Open, an all-American affair against a rejuvenated Todd Martin. Bouncing back from a wild start, Agassi exploited Kafelnikov's backhand with brutal shots to that side, wearing him down and breaking his spirit on the way to a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory Saturday. Agassi, winner of the French Open and runner-up at Wimbledon this summer, regained the No. 1 ranking as he advanced to the title match against Martin, the new No. 4 after a 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 romp over Cedric Pioline. "I'm so happy for Todd, the way he's been playing," said Agassi, who won the U.S. Open in 1994 and is seeking a fifth major title. "It's good to see another American in the final. "It's been a great year for me, and I'm hoping to make it a little bit better tomorrow." The all American final will be only the fifth here in the Open era, which began in 1968, and the first since Pete Sampras beat Michael Chang in 1996. Agassi and Martin are both 29 and have known each other since rising through the junior ranks. Agassi holds a 9-5 advantage in their pro matches. Though virtual opposites in personality, the flamboyant Agassi and the scholarly Martin speak of the tremendous respect they have for each other. Yet, Agassi knows he's better off playing Martin than another final against Sampras, who beat him at Wimbledon two months ago and in the U.S. Open finals in 1990 and 1995. "It's a little bit easier going to sleep thinking about Todd Martin than Pete," Agassi said. "But you still have a job to do. ... My state of mind is very much on the business at hand." Agassi came out a little too pumped up against Kafelnikov, trying to dictate play with deep groundstrokes but more often clubbing shots long and wide while the Russian played well enough to take advantage. Kafelnikov won 12 of 13 points in one stretch, from 2-1 to 5-1, in that set and put it away in just 21 minutes. But just as he did in the French final after a slow start, Agassi raised the level of his game as he mercilessly went after Kafelnikov's backhand. The shot of the match was not one spectacular point but a series of overpowering backhands crosscourt by Agassi that Kafelnikov sprayed outside the lines or into the net with his two-handed backhand. Agassi also began holding serve easily, dropping only two points in his first three service games of the second set. He got the break he needed at 3-1 when Kafelnikov netted a backhand, and he set the pattern for the rest of the match. "I played to his backhand because I was a half-step behind," Kafelnikov said. "He was dictating play. I never had time to prepare for my shot to go up the line. I had to create something. But it wasn't there."
Kafelnikov said that in earlier matches, he had "tons of time" to prepare for his shots. "Today, I never had the time," he said. "I admire when he's really on top of his game, the power he presents to other players from the baseline. That's what makes him so special." Agassi broke him three times in the second set, each of those games ending with a backhand error by Kafelnikov. After that, Kafelnikov never posed a threat. Seeded No. 7, Martin will be ranked a career-high No. 4 after the tournament, a huge comeback from 1997 when elbow and shin injuries caused him to miss nearly seven months and he sank as low as No. 82. "There were a few moments that I wondered if I'd play again, and a lot of moments where I definitely questioned whether I would be able to play the way I liked to play," Martin said. "Those thoughts stuck with me for another six months to a year." Runner-up to Sampras at the 1994 Australian Open, Martin will be playing in only his second Grand Slam final. "It feels great, but it doesn't necessarily feel better than the first time," said Martin. "I don't feel I'm as good an athlete, mainly because of my health. I'm relying more on other attributes. "It'll be a great challenge for me. There's nothing I'd rather do than play in a Grand Slam final against one of the world's best players." Martin's overall game is more polished than five years ago, a more thoughtful blend of groundstrokes, net attacks and chip-and-charge returns. Even more significant, perhaps, is the way Martin has learned to handle tight situations in matches and to get the most out of his body when he's feeling depleted. He showed those characteristics even in defeat two months ago in a gutsy, inspired Davis Cup match against Patrick Rafter. And Martin showed the same determination to persevere in several matches this tournament. Martin's path to the final was a bumpy one, though he had several strokes of luck. He played grueling five-setters in the first round against a qualifier, and in the fourth round against No. 9 Greg Rusedski. But Martin had to play only one set in the third round before Magnus Larsson quit with an injury. And he avoided possible confrontations with Sampras in the quarters and with Rafter in the semis because of their injuries. Martin didn't have to work too hard against Pioline, who looked flat just two days after an exhausting victory over No. 5 Gustavo Kuerten that included three long tiebreakers. Martin could rely on his serve -- he had 14 aces -- and a nice blend of groundstrokes and volleys to beat the error-prone and weary Pioline in just 96 minutes.
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