Paes Gives Agassi Tough Time
For a set and a half, Olympic bronze medalist Leander Paes leaped and lunged, lobbing, volleying and slugging shots to perfection in a masterful show against gold medalist Andre Agassi. Then they played the rest of the match.
Agassi cranked up his game, Paes returned to earth, and suddenly the Indian’s 6-3, 4-0 lead turned to dust Thursday as Agassi won seven straight games and 18 of the next 19 to reach the third round of the U.S. Open.
“He was playing really out-of-this-world tennis,” Agassi said after he carved his 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-0 comeback out of a most desperate situation - five break points against him while serving the fifth game of the second set.
“It was impossible, really, for anyone to play much better than he was playing. He was hitting screaming, on-the-full-run passing shots by me.
“I just couldn’t quite break him because of the shots he was coming up with,” Agassi said. “When he closed out that first set, his confidence rose, he went for first shots and came up with spectacular ones. Really, I was just dodging bullets at that point. I had to elevate my game, hit bigger, take more chances.”
The fifth game of the third set packed all the drama anyone could want, and the last of Paes’ brilliant shots. Paes launched one lob from the back fence that landed squarely on the baseline well beyond the stunned Agassi.
Agassi wore a worrisome look, but didn’t quit. He started to find the range he’d been missing, and fought off the fifth break point with a forehand that Paes stretched to reach and volleyed wide. Agassi dropped a winning volley on the next point, then ended that longest of games after seven deuces with a service winner down the middle.
Paes, showing his sportsmanship in a match that reflected mutual respect, applauded with his racket and congratulated Agassi on that game-winning serve. Though neither knew it at that moment, the match was effectively over right there.
No such drama accompanied No. 3 Thomas Muster’s 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Dirk Dier of Germany, nor No. 13 Thomas Enqvist’s 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 romp over Guillaume Raoux of France.
The night’s final matches ended with seeded players being ousted.
Jeff Tarango beat No. 10 Marcelo Rios of Chile 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, then Alex O’Brien eliminated No. 11 MaliVai Washington 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 6-3.
Defending women’s champ and No. 1 seed Steffi Graf also won easily, 6-2, 6-1 against Austrian Karin Kschwendt, as did No. 3 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Nicole Arendt.