The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Federer too good for Agassi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 03, 2005

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Sport - Tennis

Federer too good for Agassi

KEY BISCAYNE, APRIL 2. The setting, the weather and the crowd favoured Andre Agassi. But as usual, the top-ranked Federer rose to the occasion and beat Agassi 6-4, 6-3 on Friday in the semifinals of the Nasdaq-100 Open.

Federer hit 30 winners and escaped his biggest jam of the night with three aces in one game to reach the final. He'll bid for his first Key Biscayne title on Sunday against 18-year-old Rafael Nadal, who advanced by beating fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 6-4, 6-3.

The evening was warm and humid — just the conditions Agassi likes best. He was playing in a tournament he has won six times, on the hardcourt surface he likes best. And a capacity stadium crowd chanted his name, rooting for an upset.

But none of it fazed Federer, who extended his winning streak to 21 matches and improved to 31-1 this year. That's the best start on the men's tour since John McEnroe was 39-0 in 1984.

Agassi, seeded ninth, played Federer on even terms for the first nine games, and the only breakpoint chance of the opening set came on the final point.

The results (semifinals):

Men's singles: Rafael Nadal bt David Ferrer 6-4, 6-3; Roger Federer bt Andre Agassi 6-4, 6-3.

Men's doubles: Jonas Bjorkman & Max Mirnyi bt Mark Knowles & Daniel Nestor 6-7(3), 7-6(3), 7-5.

Women's doubles: Svetlana Kuznetsova & Alicia Molik bt Virginia Ruano Pascual & Paola Suarez 6-4, 6-3; Lisa Raymond & Rennae Stubbs bt Liezel Huber & Magdalena Maleeva 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. — AP

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