It's Agassi's Party in Five

By LISA DILLMAN

Sept. 13, 1999 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

NEW YORK —

Whether he’s shedding old identities, adopting new personas or simply reinventing himself, Andre Agassi is the master of deception and description.

They called him Houdini after he won the French Open in June. He mixed a few metaphors and described himself as a proven war dog and a spring chicken.

Two other phrases were added to the scintillating mix after this tournament: U.S. Open champion and No. 1 player in the world.

The second-seeded Agassi acquired both the hard way, defeating seventh-seeded Todd Martin, 6-4, 6-7 (7-5), 6-7 (7-2), 6-3, 6-2, Sunday in a 3-hour 23-minute final. He never lost his serve and became the first player to win the Open after trailing two-sets-to-one since John Newcombe in 1973.

By winning two Grand Slam events and reaching the final at Wimbledon, at age 29, Agassi is considered the best player in 1999. Game, set and match. This comes nearly two years after he hit his lowest point, a ranking of No. 141, and his journey down to the challenger circuit.

If someone had predicted this latest resurrection, Agassi would have had a sharp rejoinder ready two years ago.

“I’d tell them to stop smoking the crack pipe,” he said, smiling.

No wonder the guy is a little dizzy, a little giddy after his wild rides in life and love. Agassi realized how far he has come when someone showed him a picture of a 16-year-old the other day.

‘I looked at it. I said, ‘Wow, she’s cute. She has a nice figure, very narrow hips, good hair,’ ” Agassi said. “All of a sudden I went, ‘Wow, that was me.’

“I’ve changed a lot. I don’t quite have the hair anymore.”

There may have been a loss of hair, but the addition of years has changed Agassi since he first played here in 1986 and won the title in 1994. He has evolved from a shallow Teen Beat icon to a mature individual, respected and admired by his competitors and adored by the toughest audience of all, New Yorkers.

“You know, they’ve watched me grow up,” Agassi said. “It’s hard not to care on some level when you watch somebody develop from a teenager who says and does a lot of wrong things to a person who gets out there and appreciates the opportunities.”

Martin, one of the classiest players on the tour, paid homage to Agassi’s accomplishment and said there was no way he could call the loss disappointing.

“I can’t take my hat off--I took it off in the first set--but I can’t think of a better way to go out, to play a great match against a great champion,” Martin said.

Agassi hasn’t been the only inspiration at the U.S. Open. Martin is playing the best tennis of his life at 29, reaching his first Grand Slam final since the Australian Open in 1994. When the ATP rankings are released today, Martin will be a career high No. 4.

Here, he was something of a Houdini himself, defeating French qualifier Stephane Huet, 7-6, in the fifth set of the first round. In the fourth round, Martin fought bravely against Greg Rusedski of Great Britain, rallying from a two-set deficit and a 1-4 hole in the fifth.

Martin nearly did it one more time. He steadied himself after a tough start--Agassi broke him at 30 in the opening game even though Martin did not miss a single first serve.

He squandered a glorious early opportunity in the fourth game of the first set, failing to take advantage of three break points on Agassi’s serve.

“If you had told me that I lost my serve in the first game of the match, not again until fairly early in the fourth and I had won two tiebreaks, I’d have thought I would have won the match by then,” Martin said. “I did not expect to go five sets without breaking his serve.”

Agassi, though, has become something of an expert at regaining his equilibrium this year in Grand Slam finals. He lost the first two sets in the French Open final against Andrei Medvedev and prevailed in five.

Sunday, Agassi simply cleaned up his game in the final two sets. Amazingly, he committed only three unforced errors in the fourth and fifth sets, two in the fourth and one in the fifth. Martin had 20 unforced errors in the final two sets.

“The way he played, it was just disappointing that somebody had to lose,” Agassi said. “He played so well. I felt like I was hanging on by a thread for most of the match.”

In the fifth, Martin felt as if he “lost his legs a little bit.” Meanwhile, Agassi was sprinting to his courtside chair on changeovers. And there was one telling stretch early in the fifth set, an example of Agassi’s new-and-improved fitness.

It came as Agassi served in the first game, leading, 40-15. Martin and Agassi engaged in a lengthy baseline exchange, and Martin finally won the point with a forehand winner down the line.

An exhausted Martin promptly lost the next nine points. By then, Agassi had a 3-0 lead and a strong handle on his fifth Grand Slam title. The match ended with Martin hitting a backhand into the net. Agassi’s arms shot up in the air and he held them high for a moment. Later, he savored his signature celebration, blowing a kiss and bowing to all four corners of the stadium.

He added one more flourish, waving his racket before the bow and kiss. What will he do if he wins the Australian Open? Add another move to the celebration?

“It’s just been a culmination pretty much since the Las Vegas Challenger of ‘97,” said Agassi’s coach, Brad Gilbert. “It’s almost like we started over.”

The lowest point set the stage for a new Andre.

“Part of me is convinced that if it wasn’t for those valleys, these peaks wouldn’t be this high,” Agassi said. “It’s kind of how my spirit has always worked. To say I regret [the valleys] would be inaccurate.

“I don’t regret it. Who knows if I could have accomplished more? I don’t know. But there’s still time.”

1999 CHAMPIONS

MEN’S SINGLES

Andre Agassi, United States

WOMEN’S SINGLES

Serena Williams, United States

MEN’S DOUBLES

Alex O’Brien (U.S.) and Sebastien Lareau (Canada)

WOMEN’S DOUBLES

Serena and Venus Williams (U.S.)

MIXED DOUBLES

Mahesh Bhupathi (India) and Ai Sugiyama (Japan)

AGASSI IN GRAND SLAM FINALS

Australian: 1-0

French Open: 1-2

Wimbledon: 1-1

U.S. Open: 2-2

AGASSI vs. MARTIN

Box score of No. 2 Andre Agassi’s 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 6-2 victory over No. 7 Todd Martin:

*--*

Agassi Martin 1st serve percentage 64 60 Aces 7 23 Double faults 4 8 Percent 1st serve points won 75 71 Percent 2nd serve points won 66 59 Winners (including service) 39 74 Unforced Errors 23 60 Break points 5-10 0-8 Net points 16-19 62-97 Total points 165 147 Time of match 3:23

*--*

AGASSI IN GRAND SLAM FINALS

1990 French Open

lost to Andres Gomez, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.

1990 U.S. Open

lost to Pete Sampras, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

1991 French Open

lost to Jim Courier, 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.

1992 Wimbledon

def. Goran Ivanisevic, 6-7 (10-8), 6-4, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.

1994 U.S. Open

def. Michael Stich, 6-1, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5.