Tags:
Journalism of Courage
World No 1 Andre Agassi dispatched stubborn Swedish southpaw Andreas Vinciguerra 7-6 (7/1), 6-1, 6-4 here to book a third-round US Open date against a familiar foe — Yevgeny Kafelnikov.
Vinciguerra, ranked 92nd, was playing only his second hardcourt match since February. But he tested Agassi in the first set and dueled him through seven deuces in the seventh game of the final set before giving up a service break yesterday.
|
Philippoussis in 3rd round
|
|
Wimbledon finalist and 20th seed Mark Philippoussis swept past Anthony Dupuis 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 in the second round. The Australian, who is yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows, was in imperious mood again, winning in one hour, 59 minutes. He had 45 winners across just three sets, and sent 21 aces past the 64th-ranked Frenchman. |
“He was hitting his shots effectively,” Agassi said. “I was being solid with my game but it wasn’t good enough. I had to step up my game and pick up my shots. Once I settled down I hit my shots a lot cleaner.”
Eight-time Grand Slam champion Agassi, at 33 the oldest man here and ever to be ranked No 1, has only failed to reach the US Open’s fourth round once since 1993, but knows he will be tested saturday by the 28th-ranked Russian.
“We both will try to control the baseline,” Agassi said. “He controls points and knows how to win. I have to take it seriously. I have to be on him from the get if I’m going to win.
Kafelnikov, who turns 30 in February, won the 1996 French Open and 1999 Australian Open but has struggled to a 26-21 record this season and has not gone past the third round of a Slam since a semi-final run here in 2001.
Until ousting Kenneth Carlsen and rising to 6-0 against the Dane, Kafelnikov had not won back-to-back matches since May. He had considered retirement before a change of heart after helping Russia win the 2002 Davis Cup. “He’s very talented,” Agassi said. “I think he could have accomplished a lot more than he has. He’s still out here because of his game.”
Agassi is 7-4 against Kafelnikov, having won the past five in a row. They have not played each other since the 2000 ATP Masters Cup.
“We go back a long time. We have had a lot of battles,” Agassi said. “It’s going to be a good match. We’ve played some great matches in the past.”
