![]() |
|
|||||||
|
||
| Advertisement | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Safin stops Agassi in Australian Open ( 2004-01-30 15:50) (Agencies) Russian Marat Safin ended Andre Agassi's five-year winning streak at the Australian Open, beating the American reigning champion 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (8-6), 5-7, 1-6 and 6-3 at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Thursday. Safin, 24, who once ranked first in the world but dropped to 86th last year after an injury-plagued season, defeated 33-year-old four-time champion Agassi with his thunderous serve and speedy groundstrokes. "I don't have the words to describe what I'm feeling," said Safin. "To be on the same court as Andre Agassi and to win in five sets after he came back from 2-0 down, it's great." Safin, who beat Pete Sampras in the 2000 US Open final and a 2002 Australian Open finalist, scored 33 aces and 79 winners over fourth-seeded Agassi in 3 hours and 42 minutes. Agassi, who had not lost a match at the Australian Open since his 1999 fourth round exit, also became the fifth American to fall victim at these championships to the Russian, who also eliminated world number one Andy Roddick in a five-set quarterfinal. With the victory, Safin will play either Switzerland's Roger Federer or Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain in his third appearance in a Grand Slam final. Federer and Ferrero face each other on Friday.
|
|
![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| .contact us |.about us | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright By chinadaily.com.cn. All rights reserved |