Tennis Roundup : Agassi Runs His Record to 12-0 This Year on Clay

Andre Agassi won his second clay court tournament in two weeks Sunday with a 7-5, 7-6, 7-5 victory over Slobodan Zivojinovic in the Tournament of Champions at Forest Hills, N.Y.

The first prize of $127,600, the biggest paycheck of his career, boosted Agassi’s earnings for 1988 to $268,902, the third best figure of any player in the world.

Zivojinovic, a semifinalist in this tournament a year ago, earned $63,800.

Just a week past his 18th birthday, Agassi already has climbed to No. 15 in the world rankings, and has become a big favorite of American crowds. He is the first American to win this $677,500 championship since John McEnroe in 1984.

Last week, Agassi won the U.S. Clay Court Championships. He won the U.S. Indoor Championship in February.

Zivojinovic, who relies heavily on his booming serve, was unable to take advantage of his main weapon against Agassi. He had only three aces and was broken seven times while getting only 51% of his first serves in.

In all three sets, the fifth-seeded Agassi broke service on his first opportunity, but each time he allowed Zivojinovic the chance to come back. The eighth-seeded Yugoslav had his last chance when he broke in the eighth game of the final set and then held to lead in a set for the only time all day.

Agassi, though, got even at 5-5 with his third ace, and he broke in the 11th game at 15 on Zivojinovic’s double fault on the final point.

“This was my fourth match in 48 hours, but there was too much excitement to be tired,” Agassi said of the rain-interrupted play throughout the week.

Agassi, who has won 11 straight matches, is unbeaten in 12 matches on clay this year and now is pointing toward the French Open, where no American man has won since 1955.

“The guy has a lot of fun with the crowd and doesn’t seem to worry about whether the ball is going out or not,” said Zivojinovic, who had never played Agassi before Sunday’s final.

“It’s going to give him a lot of confidence in Paris (at the French Open),” which starts on May 23.

At Rome, Gabriela Sabatini wore down Helen Kelesi, 6-1, 6-7, 6-1, to win the $200,000 Italian Open women’s championships.

Kelesi, a Canadian ranked 40th in the world, gave Sabatini all she could handle in the second set. But the 17-year-old Argentine found the range in the third set en route to the $40,000 top prize.

“She played very well in the second set,” Sabatini said. “But I never thought I would lose. She was very tired in the third set.”

Kelesi, seeded 14th, was nursing a slight groin strain, the result of what she said were two weeks of sliding on the slow clay courts of the Foro Italico. She broke for a 1-0 lead in the final set but never challenged the rest of the way. Between points she gasped for breath and began limping.

It was the second tournament title of 1988 for the second-seeded Sabatini, who became the heavy favorite after top-seeded Chris Evert pulled out in the third round with a heel injury.

At Munich, West Germany, Guillermo Perez-Roldan of Argentina defeated Jonas B. Svensson of Sweden, 7-5, 6-3, to win the $202,000 Bavarian championships for the second year in a row.