Monday, July 29, 2002
Agassi rolls past Gambill in Mercedes
Then he pulls out of Canada event
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Andre Agassi jerked Jan-Michael Gambill from side to side with deep groundstrokes and went on to win 6-2, 6-4 for his third career Mercedes-Benz Cup on Sunday.
Agassi improved to 34-5 with his fourth title this year and the 54th of his career. He joined nine others, including Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors and Jack Kramer, as three-time winners of the 76-year-old tournament on the UCLA campus.
“This has always been a place I've loved to play,” said Agassi, who was cheered on by his wife, Steffi Graf. “To be put in the same category as some of those other greats mentioned in winning it three times is a great accomplishment. It's getting harder and harder. You never know when it's the last one.”
The match apparently also took its toll on Agassi, who announced he withdrew from this week's Tennis Masters Series Canada tournament because of a lower back and hip injury.eating Gambill, was scheduled to face wild-card entry Daniel Nestor in the first round Tuesday.
“I have had success at the events in Canada before,” Agassi said. “I regret not being able to take part this year in Toronto amongst a great player field.”
GENERALI OPEN: Alex Corretja beat French Open finalist Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 to win the $1 million tournament in Kitzbuehel, Austria, for the second time.
The eighth-seeded Corretja knocked off French Open champion and top-seeded Albert Costa in the quarterfinals en route to his 17th career ATP Tour title. He also won this clay-court event in 2000.
BANK OF THE WEST: With savvy shotmaking and her booming serve, Venus Williams defeated Belgian Kim Clijsters 6-3, 6-3 to win the Bank of the West Classic title in Stanford, Calif.
Williams, the top seed, won her fifth title of the year to maintain her No. 2 ranking behind sister Serena Williams, the Wimbledon champion.
Clijsters, the fourth seed and defending champion, will fall from No. 5 in the world to No. 7.
PROKOM OPEN: Jose Acasuso beat fellow Argentine Franco Squillari 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 in the final in Sopot, Poland, for his first ATP Tour title.
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Agassi rolls past Gambill in Mercedes
