Andre Agassi came into the Mercedes-Benz Cup looking to regain
his form after an eight-week hiatus, all the while being expected
to carry the weight of the tournament on his shoulders after
several other big names suddenly dropped out.
He looks to be delivering on the promise.
Agassi defeated Paradorn Srichaphan 6-2,4-6, 6-4 at the Los
Angeles Tennis Center in Friday’s quarterfinal match that
featured streaky play by both players. Agassi, the top-ranked
player in the event, and Srichaphan provided the crowd of almost
5,000 with a display of lengthy rallies full of volleys and drop
shots.
The finesse game delivered by both players is not terribly
common in men’s tennis, and proved to Agassi that this was a
quality match.
“We were both hitting our shots and looking to control the
flow of the match,” Agassi said. “There isn’t
much that separates us.”
Early on in the match, Srichaphan looked as if he wasn’t
going to give Agassi much difficulty ““ the first set was
lopsided. However, the Thai fought back. He won seven of eight
games to capture the second set and grabbed a 1-0 lead in the final
set.
Agassi quickly thwarted any ideas of an upset by reeling off a
streak of his own, winning the next four games with powerful
forehanded hits that caused Srichaphan to make a number of unforced
errors.
Yet Agassi was most encouraged by defensive effort.
“It’s a good test to play against someone who can
hit the ball as hard as Paradorn can,” Agassi said.
Agassi’s sporadic play might be attributed to his time
away from the court with a sciatic nerve injury, for which he
received several cortisone shots to limit the pain and improve
mobility. His return at the Mercedes-Benz Cup has been successful
thus far, but not without its challenges.
It was something that Agassi expected coming into the
tournament.
“It doesn’t matter how much you practice, you never
know how you’ll react once you come off a layoff,”
Agassi said.
As Agassi heads into the semifinals, where he will face Juan
Ignacio Chela, his attention has shifted. He is no longer worrying
about how he will respond to the physical demands of playing in his
first tournament in two months.
As far as Agassi is concerned, it is now all about the
tennis.
“Any adjustment is only about the game and that’s
all I’m thinking about,” Agassi said. “That is
great news because I’m reacting on the court, not
second-guessing my health.”
When it comes to dealing with the spotlight, Agassi believes his
work on the court will only serve to help the fanfare in
Westwood.
“I do recognize my role in the tournament and I want to
help the Kramer family, for whom this event is a labor of
love,” said Agassi, referring to Bob Kramer, the tournament
director. “In the end, to help the tournament is a by-product
of taking care of my business on the court.”