Saturday, August 7, 2004
Agassi shows he's still got it
Moves on for meeting with Roddick today
By Neil Schmidt
Enquirer staff writer
MASON - Andre and Andy. The A-Train and A-Rod. American tennis titans past and present.
Get ready for a marquee matchup tonight in a Western & Southern Financial Group Masters semifinal: Andre Agassi vs. Andy Roddick.
It is the most intriguing matchup here since 1999, when Agassi faced Pete Sampras in the only meeting at this event in their long rivalry.
This one, though, pits two generations of superstars. Roddick, 21, was just 3 when Agassi turned professional and began crafting one of the sport's finest careers.
The 7-6 (12), 6-3 victory Friday over Carlos Moya was the 806th of Agassi's career, tying him with Stefan Edberg for fifth-most in the Open era.
Roddick finished 2003 as the world's No. 1-ranked player but only recently has matched Agassi's fan base. The crowd today is sure to be conflicted.
Lleyton Hewitt, seeded 10th, will face unseeded Tommy Robredo in the other semifinal at 1 p.m.
Roddick continued his steady hardcourt play Friday, beating unseeded Tommy Haas 6-3, 6-3 to end an 0-4 drought against the German.
But the 34-year-old Agassi has been the story of this tournament, regaining the form that won him the world's top ranking as recently as a year ago.
The 11th seed saved six set points Friday in the tournament's longest tiebreaker to fuel his victory.
After a hip injury and a crisis of confidence caused a spring slump, Agassi said he now is getting enough matches to get his game going.
"The way I've raised my game is what I need," he said. "It is important for me right now to beat some of the best in the world and have the belief."
Agassi leads his series with Roddick 4-1. Roddick won the most recent meeting, on grass at Queen's Club in 2003.
Hewitt lurks in the other semifinal. He blasted 14th seed Marat Safin 6-4, 6-4 Friday and is the only player not to lose a set all week. He's 0-1 against Robredo, though, falling in five sets last year at the French Open.
Robredo, a 22-year-old Spaniard, beat Fabrice Santoro 6-2, 6-3.
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E-mail nschmidt@enquirer.com
