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Agassi to play Moya in NASDAQ-100 Open final
Florida, USA, Mar 30: Andre Agassi gave Spain`s Albert Costa a lesson in hardcourt tennis as he romped to a 6-2 6-4 win on Saturday to reach his eighth final at the Nasdaq-100 Open.
Florida, USA, Mar 30: Andre Agassi gave Spain's Albert Costa a lesson in hardcourt tennis as he romped to a 6-2 6-4 win on Saturday to reach his eighth final at the Nasdaq-100 Open.
The American, who has dominated the tournament since 1990, picked off the ninth seed's serve with deadly accuracy in the second semi-final of the $3.25 million hardcourt event.
Agassi, seeking a record third successive title here and sixth overall, moved through to the final on Sunday against fifth seed Carlos Moya.
Moya and Agassi have met twice before, with one victory each.
"Carlos will have a bit more firepower than Al, although with that said, there are always ways to get guys," Agassi said.
"We're both going to be doing our best to control the point and make sure the other one can't impose his will."
With victory over Costa, the world number two has now won 17 straight matches in Key Biscayne and has not lost here since a semi-final defeat to Gustavo Kuerten three years ago.
He is also 16-1 on the year and achieved his 54th win in Miami in 65 matches by shutting down the aggressive play that had carried French Open champion Costa past last year's runner-up Roger Federer in the quarter-finals.
He barely looked back in the first set after finally breaking Costa's serve on his fifth break point in a 17-minute opening game that featured 10 deuces. He faced some tricky moments in the second set, serving from three break points down to win the sixth game and saving three earlier break points at 1-2, but was otherwise in control.
His only break in the second set came with a stunning down-the-line backhand winner at 4-4, a point that provided the platform for a comfortable final service game in which Agassi sealed victory.
There were no signs of trouble from the right shoulder strain that forced Agassi to pull out of the Indian Wells tournament two weeks ago, although he appeared at the post-match news conference for a fifth time this tournament with protective padding on it.
Moya will approach the final having enjoyed an extra day of rest. He beat Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand, the 13th seed, 6-4 6-2 in his semi-final on Friday. Bureau Report
Agassi, seeking a record third successive title here and sixth overall, moved through to the final on Sunday against fifth seed Carlos Moya.
Moya and Agassi have met twice before, with one victory each.
"Carlos will have a bit more firepower than Al, although with that said, there are always ways to get guys," Agassi said.
"We're both going to be doing our best to control the point and make sure the other one can't impose his will."
With victory over Costa, the world number two has now won 17 straight matches in Key Biscayne and has not lost here since a semi-final defeat to Gustavo Kuerten three years ago.
He is also 16-1 on the year and achieved his 54th win in Miami in 65 matches by shutting down the aggressive play that had carried French Open champion Costa past last year's runner-up Roger Federer in the quarter-finals.
He barely looked back in the first set after finally breaking Costa's serve on his fifth break point in a 17-minute opening game that featured 10 deuces. He faced some tricky moments in the second set, serving from three break points down to win the sixth game and saving three earlier break points at 1-2, but was otherwise in control.
His only break in the second set came with a stunning down-the-line backhand winner at 4-4, a point that provided the platform for a comfortable final service game in which Agassi sealed victory.
There were no signs of trouble from the right shoulder strain that forced Agassi to pull out of the Indian Wells tournament two weeks ago, although he appeared at the post-match news conference for a fifth time this tournament with protective padding on it.
Moya will approach the final having enjoyed an extra day of rest. He beat Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand, the 13th seed, 6-4 6-2 in his semi-final on Friday. Bureau Report