Agassi’s Strong Finish Too Much for Kucera

Andre Agassi was surprised by a big run that put him in the championship match of the Grand Slam Cup at Munich, Germany.

He won the last 11 games to beat a tiring Karol Kucera in five sets Saturday and will play Marcelo Rios today for the title.

Agassi won, 7-6 (7-1), 6-7 (5-7), 2-6, 7-5, 6-0, in a match that lasted 3 hours 40 minutes.

“I wasn’t expecting that one today, that’s for sure,” Agassi said. “It was real good tennis, there’s no question about it. To win that one in five sets certainly was very satisfying.”

Rios, at No. 3 the highest-ranked player in the $6.7-million tournament, came back from a break down in the third set to defeat Mark Philippoussis, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 6-4.

Agassi trailed in the fourth set, 5-2, and Kucera served for the match.

But the Slovak was unable to convert four match points, and his errors combined with spectacular and risky shot-making by Agassi.

Kucera sent a forehand into the net to drop the game, and Agassi gained the momentum.

Kucera was unable to keep up with Agassi’s pace and his game collapsed.

During changeovers, Kucera had his legs massaged by a trainer,and he offered little resistance in the final set.

After the withdrawal of top-ranked Pete Sampras and No. 2 Patrick Rafter, organizers invited Agassi although his Grand Slam record this year was not good enough to earn him a direct spot in the 12-man field.

Now, he could end up earning $1.3 million by winning the title.

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Carlos Moya defeated Fernando Vicente, 6-1, 6-2, and Gustavo Kuerten was a 7-5, 7-5 winner over Thomas Muster in the semifinals of the Mallorca Open at Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands. . . . Greg Rusedski defeated defending champion Nicolas Kiefer, 6-4, 6-1, and Jan Siemerink outlasted Thomas Johansson, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, in the semifinals of the Toulouse Open at Toulouse, France.