TENNIS ROUNDUP : Agassi Beats Rostagno for His First Title of Year

Top-seeded Andre Agassi overcame blistering midday heat and the power game of Derrick Rostagno for a 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 victory on Sunday in the final of the $225,000 Prudential Securities Tennis Classic at Orlando, Fla.

Agassi earned $32,400 with his first tournament victory of the year. Agassi won the event in 1989.

The first set was a rout for Agassi, who belted the ball crisply past Rostagno, picking up service breaks in the fifth and seventh games. Rostagno, 25, seemed to flounder in the 100-plus degree courtside temperatures, making numerous unforced errors.

Rostagno, seeded fourth, changed tactics in the second set and turned the match. He began spinning, floating and chipping his approach shots to deny Agassi any pace.

“That’s Derrick for you,” said Agassi, ranked fifth in the world. “He plays crazy tennis. You never know what to expect. One minute you’re beating him easy and the next second he’s beating you, 6-1.”

The final set produced the best tennis of the match, with Agassi frequently sprinting to the corners to blast winners off of Rostagno’s sharply angled volleys.

After saving a break point at 3-3, Agassi raced from behind the baseline to pick up a drop shot and flick a forehand winner down the line. That point gave Agassi the only service break of the set. He served out the match in the next game.

Agassi has won all three of his matches against Brentwood’s Rostagno, ranked 27th, but all have gone the three-set limit.

“I’ve been struggling for a few weeks,” Agassi said, “and maybe I’m going to struggle some more. But now I feel like I’m starting to zone in on 100%, and it’s happening sooner than I expected.”

Gabriela Sabatini scored a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Leila Meskhi in the finals of the $500,000 Family Circle Magazine Cup at Hilton Head Island, S.C. It was worth $100,000 to Sabatini and raised her career winnings to $4,011,687.

Only Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf and Pam Shriver have made more money during their tennis careers.

In winning her first Family Circle title, Sabatini also took home a crystal cup and a sports car valued at about $20,000. “I know what I have. Money is something, but it’s not the most important thing,” Sabatini said. “I’m real happy to enjoy tennis.”