Eight-time grand-slam champion Andre Agassi delivered on a tall order on Thursday, downing rangy Croatian Ivo Karlovic in straight sets to reach the third round of the United States Open tennis championships.
Agassi, one of the best returners in the game, needed all of his skill to cope with the 2,08m Karlovic’s mighty serve.
”It’s an incredible serve,” said Agassi, who had never played Karlovic before. ”It’s not a function of how fast it is. The trajectory is the main issue. You’re lungeing, but then it’s up. You’re sort of diving, but then you can’t reach it.”
Agassi, who won his US Open titles in 1994 and 1999, is playing in his 20th consecutive Open. With the win over Karlovic he moved into a second-place tie with Ivan Lendl for most matches won at the tournament, 73.
He said it took constant vigilance, since Karlovic’s impenetrable serve meant Agassi was under tremendous pressure to protect his own service game.
”Today required a lot of concentration because it only took a mental lapse of a few seconds and the set was over,” said Agassi, who made just 11 unforced errors to Karlovic’s 41. ”All he needs is one break and he’s won the set. I couldn’t afford to get too risky.”
In fact, each man broke once — Agassi converting one of his 11 chances with Karlovic making good on one of his two opportunities.
After a third set that went with serve throughout, Agassi won the first point of the tiebreaker against Karlovic’s serve on a double fault, giving himself all the window he needed.
He gave himself a match point with a backhand winner for 6-4, and Karlovic netted a backhand on the next point.
In the first set, Agassi mustered a string of break points in the seventh game, but couldn’t convert.
Trailing 5-6, Agassi saved a set point by calmly threading a winner past Karlovic to force the tie-breaker.
Agassi rallied after falling 0-2 behind in the decider, and won the final three points to take the set.
Agassi had broken early in the second set to lead 3-0 before Karlovic put the set back on serve.
The American had chances to close it out before the tiebreaker, but couldn’t capitalise. He needed three more set points in the tie-break, finally taking a two-sets-to-love lead on his first set point on his own serve.
In the third round, the seventh-seeded Agassi will face the dangerous young Czech Tomas Berdych, who beat Brazilian Ricardo Mello 6-3, 6-2, 6-0.
One-time top-25 player James Blake, battling back from a 2004 season that saw him struggle with injury, illness and the death of his father, continued to make the most of his wild-card invitation, earning a third-round clash with world number two Rafael Nadal with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory over 22-year-old Russian Davis Cup player Igor Andreev.
Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller, however, couldn’t build on his stunning first-round upset of former champion Andy Roddick, falling 6-1, 6-1, 6-4 to doubles partner Robby Ginepri of the US.
Eighth-seeded Argentinian Guillermo Coria advanced with a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 victory over American Vincent Spadea.
But compatriot Mariano Puerta, the 10th seed and French Open runner-up, was ousted in five sets by Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1.
Women’s world number one and second seed Lindsay Davenport, third-seeded Amelie Mauresmo of France and French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium raced into the third round against overmatched opponents.
Davenport overpowered French qualifier Pauline Parmentier, ranked 253rd in the world, 6-1, 6-1.
”I feel like today I played a lot better,” said Davenport, who will face 32nd-seeded Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues for a place in the last 16. ”The other night I felt like I was just a second or two off in my reactions. Today I felt like I stepped it up a little and was more consistent and was in control of the points more.”
The 29-year-old American, who was talking retirement amid injuries and sub-par performances two years ago, reached the finals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, in addition to winning three WTA Tour titles.
Henin-Hardenne, the seventh seed, overcame eight double faults to defeat Spanish lucky loser Maria Sanchez Lorenzo.
”I did serve a couple of double faults, but we could see that when my first serve is in I win a lot of points,” she said. ”So, I need to be very focused on that, and I’m sure I’ll serve better next match.”
In that, she’ll face South Korean Yoon Jeong Cho, who upset Argentine 27th seed Gisela Dulko 6-4, 6-3.
A victory would set up a potential last-16 clash with French 12th seed Mary Pierce, who beat Katarina Srebotnik 6-3, 6-2 to book a third-round meeting with 17th seed Jelena Jankovic of Croatia — a 6-2, 6-0 winner over US wild card Alexa Glatch.
Mauresmo, seeking her first career grand-slam title, is lurking in Henin-Hardenne’s quarter of the draw. She routed 16-year-old Bulgarian Sesil Karatantcheva 6-0, 6-1 to line up a meeting with Germany’s Anna-Lena Groenefeld.
Also advancing was Russian sixth seed Elena Dementieva, last year’s runner-up, who dismissed Argentina’s Mariana Diaz-Oliva 7-5, 6-1. — Sapa-AFP