Agassi’s Semifinal Win Is a Set Piece

Andre Agassi won one set Friday, enough to make him a finalist at Key Biscayne for the seventh time.

The four-time champion advanced when Marcelo Rios retired because of recurrent knee tendinitis with their semifinal match tied after two sets at the Nasdaq-100 Open.

Agassi lost the first set, 7-6 (7), and won the second, 6-4. During the ensuing changeover, Rios briefly consulted with trainer Doug Spreen, then retired and shook Agassi’s hand.

“I was very surprised,” Agassi said. “The last thing you’re expecting is for the match to come to kind of an abrupt end.”

The ninth-seeded Agassi’s opponent Sunday will be 12th-seeded Roger Federer, who upset No. 1-ranked Lleyton Hewitt, 6-3, 6-4.

Rios said his inflamed right knee has bothered him for two months, and he was unsure whether he would even be able to take the court. The knee hurt when he pushed off to serve or run, he said, and the pain became too severe to play a deciding third set.

The 699th victory of Agassi’s career was his first in three matches against Rios.

On Sunday, Agassi can add to the Key Biscayne titles he won in 1990, 1995, 1996 and 2001. His opponent, Federer, is in a Tennis Masters Series final for the first time and has yet to lose his serve or a set in the tournament.

Federer, best known for ending Pete Sampras’ 31-match Wimbledon winning streak last year, snapped Hewitt’s 15-match winning streak with a dominating performance.

Federer, 20, comes to the net more than most players of his generation, and he mixed it up nicely against Hewitt. He hit 29 winners, won 19 points at the net and lost only six points on his first serve, which topped out at 127 mph.

“I’ve never beaten the No. 1 player before,” Federer said. “It’s quite a special moment for me.”

For nearly two hours against Agassi, Rios appeared intent on making the final for the first time since winning the 1998 title. The Chilean left-hander mixed angles, speeds and spins to keep Agassi off balance.

“It got to where I was almost saying ‘good shot’ before he even hit the ball,” Agassi said. “It’s very frustrating.”

Said Rios: “If I wasn’t injured, there was no way he could beat me. I was playing much better than him. But that’s the way it goes.”

In the women’s final today, top-seeded Jennifer Capriati plays No. 8 Serena Williams, each bidding for her first Key Biscayne title.