Agassi Won’t Be Party to Philippoussis’ Plans

Hometown hope Mark Philippoussis had a different kind of smashing time than he had hoped for today in the Australian Open.

Any party planned by Philippoussis, recent hero for his country in its Davis Cup victory a month ago over France, came to an end in Rod Laver Arena at the quick hands of American Andre Agassi. Agassi won, 6-4, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-3, doing as expected of the No. 1-seeded player, despite all the local hoopla all week, as everybody pointed to this match.

The turning point for Agassi, against the huge-serving Philippoussis, came in the second-set tiebreaker, when he trailed, 4-1.

Philippoussis, at an advantage as any big server is in a tiebreaker, missed a backhand, and Agassi got a service winner for 3-4.

Suddenly, much of what Philippoussis had talked about and worked for and dreamed of for much of his tennis life was in his hands. He had two chances to do what he does best, two serves to get to set point at 6-3. Instead, he failed to get a first serve in either time, lost both points when he hit a backhand long on the first and couldn’t handle a return that Agassi put at his feet on the second. Then Agassi turned around and did what Philippoussis had failed to do, serving it out for the second set.

If there was a question whether Philippoussis realized the magnitude of the moment he had allowed to slip away, he answered it within seconds of his final shot settling into the net. He took his racket, slammed it to the hard surface and then carried the crumpled remains to his courtside seat. There, it became a wonderful photo opportunity--and perhaps a symbol of Australian frustration here--for the local media.

Agassi went on a roller coaster in the third set and, while he had chances to close the match out in straight sets, lost at 7-5 and had to gather himself again in the fourth. There, he did exactly what he said afterward was the key to playing Philippoussis.

“If you don’t break his serve early,” Agassi said, “you are in trouble.”

In the second game of the fourth set, Philippoussis, after serving the 23rd of his 25 aces and holding a game point, crumbled somewhat like his former racket and Agassi had a break in the second game that he made hold up the rest of the way.

Agassi had high praise for Philippoussis afterward, but when pressured a bit about where the 23-year-old needs to improve to become a player who gets to the quarterfinals in major tournaments, said, “He just needs to control the ball a bit better, and to see the time for the big points. At one point, one a break point, he tried a second serve that went 189 [kilometers per hour]. It just missed. If he makes it, it’s, well, all you can say is, ‘that was Mark Philippoussis and what are you going to do.’ ”

Those kinds of thoughtless misses have contributed greatly to inconsistent results for Philippoussis, who has made it as far as the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam event only three times, including the final of the 1998 U.S. Open.

“That’s the kind of player I am,” he said. “I go for it, even on the big points.”

With Pete Sampras playing a night match, American men suddenly had a chance for three spots in the quarterfinals, thanks to the 3-hour 46-minute shocker turned in by unseeded Chris Woodruff. He beat England’s No. 11-seeded Tim Henman, 7-5, 1-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, making 80 unforced errors and helping cause 82 by Henman.

Woodruff will play Sampras, a 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 winner over Slava Doesedel of the Czech Republic. Agassi will play Hicham Arazi of Morocco, who beat Nicolas Escude of France, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7).