Winning the title wasn’t on Andre Agassi’s list of
expectations when the Mercedes-Benz Cup kicked off last Monday. But
now the 35-year-old veteran can’t help but acknowledge the
reality of that goal. With his 6-4, 6-2 win over Juan Ignacio Chela
on Saturday afternoon, Agassi moved within one win of his fourth
career championship at the Los Angeles event. And though the top
seed’s presence in the finals may have been a foregone
conclusion to fans who glanced at the underwhelming draw, Agassi
insists he didn’t anticipate going this far. “Being in
the finals here surprised me,” Agassi said. “My
movement and reaction to the ball surprised me initially. A lot of
things feel good, and surprisingly so.” The only thing that
may have seemed surprising to fans accustomed to seeing Agassi in
the finals was the ease with which he got there. One day after
surviving a two-hour marathon against Paradon Srichaphan on Friday,
Agassi put away Chela in a little over an hour. After picking up a
break at 3-3 in the first set, the eight-time Grand Slam champion
cruised easily through the second. “Early on, (Chela) got my
attention,” Agassi said. “He was pulling triggers, and
I could tell if I didn’t step up my game, he was going to
control what was going on out there.” Chela, the 25-year-old
from Argentina, had looked to dictate the pace, but as the match
wore on, his groundstrokes became more and more erratic. In the
second set, Agassi gave up only four points on his serve, a product
of both his own serving and his opponent’s inconsistency.
“I wasn’t expecting him to be so anxious to be
aggressive,” Agassi said. “You can play aggressive, and
you can cross the line ““ I think he was going for a little
too much. My serve picked up, and I ran with the momentum.”
Should that momentum carry through against Gilles Muller, a 4-6,
7-6 (4), 6-1 winner over Dominik Hrbaty in the other semifinal,
Agassi will be hoisting the tournament trophy for a record fourth
time. It would be his 60th career title, but only the first of the
year. For the last eight weeks, Agassi had seldom touched a racket
because of a sciatic nerve injury he suffered during the French
Open. As early as a week before the tournament he had considered
taking a second cortisone injection. Going into his first-round
match, he said his primary goal was to return to tournament form,
not necessarily to win. But with each and every match, he’s
had the chance to reevaluate his expectations. “If
there’s ever a tournament where you can say with each match
you’ve gotten better, this is one of those,” Agassi
said. “I’ve needed to and done so. I hope that trend
continues.” So far, his improvement has enabled him to walk
off the court in the same manner for four consecutive rounds.
Against Chela, he left very little doubt that he still has the
energy to walk off victorious on Sunday. “I want to win a
match feeling like I’m breaking it open,” Agassi said.
“I don’t want to feel like I’m just crossing the
line.” He’s raced past that line in each round so far,
even if he never expected to make it there to begin with.
HONORED ON COURT: The UCLA men’s tennis
team, which captured its first national championship in 21 years in
May, was recognized on stadium court before the evening session
Saturday. Though most players weren’t around, the four
members present played a doubles super tiebreaker. Jason Nguyen and
Chris Surapol played against Alberto Francis and assistant coach
Jason Sher.