Return
to Story Page
To print: Select File and then Print from your
browser's menu
AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE
PARIS, JUNE 6: Andre Agassi fought back from two sets down to beat Andrei Medvedev 1-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in the French Open final today and became only the fifth man in history to win all four Grand Slam titles.
Agassi, the 13th seed, won his first Grand Slam title for over three years at the age of 29.
He kept his nerve when he looked to be in real trouble and out-fought and out-thought Medvedev over the final three sets.
The Las Vegas showman was playing in the eighth Grand Slam final of his career and his memorable victory saw him join Donald Budge, Fred Perry, Roy Emerson and Rod Laver -- the only men to have won the Australian Open, the French, Wimbledon and the US Open in their careers.
Agassi became the first to win them on different surfaces but there was drama right to the end as Medvedev saved three match points in the penultimate game before Agassi served out for the match -- and a place in the history books.
Agassi's win took him 2 hours 52 minutes and he burst into tears at theend.
``I'll never forget this. I'm very blessed,'' he said.
``It's been a lot of years since I've had this opportunity and I never thought I would see this day. I always wondered what it would be like to hold this trophy up here.''
Laver, who swept all four titles in 1969 and recently recovered from a stroke, presented Agassi with the trophy.
Agassi won wimbledon in 1992, the US Open in 1994 and the Australian Open in 1995 and played some of the best tennis of his 14-year career as he sought the French title that had eluded him despite final appearances in 1990 and 1991.
Medvedev, who came so close to a straight sets victory, had been bidding to become the lowest-ranked man ever to win the French Open men's singles title.
``Hopefully one day I will be able to hold up this trophy, but I am really proud of reaching this far,'' Medvedev said. ``I want to congratulate Andre from the bottom of my heart.''
Medvedev, who is 100 in the latest ATP tour rankings but will rise to the 20s after making thefinal, played like a man possessed as he won the first two sets.
The Ukrainian mixed up his game superbly and hit winners off both sides while the American never found a rhythm and mis-hit many of his shots. Agassi consistently failed to find the sweet spot on his racket in the first hour.
Medvedev, who would have been the first man from Ukraine ever to win a Grand Slam, had hoped to join Marcel Bernard in 1946, Mats Wilander in 1982 and Gustavo Kuerten two years ago -- the only three unseeded winners on the slow red clay.
More misery for Hingis
Martina Hingis' French Open misery was complete today when she and partner Anna Kournikova lost the final of the women's doubles to Americans Serena and Venus Williams.
The ninth-seeded Williams sisters made up for their early exits from the women's singles encounters with a 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 8-6 triumph in their rain-interrupted encounter with Switzerland's Hingis and Russia's Kournikova, the second seeds.
MATCH POINT
Fact of the day:Andre Agassi, who won the the French Open final and completed the Grand Slam today received the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy from the man who last won all four Slams -- Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open -- Australia's Rod Laver.
Stat of the day: In beating Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport and Monica Seles en route to the French Open title, Steffi Graf became the first woman since tennis opened up to professionals in 1968 to beat the top three players in the world in one tournament.
Quote of the day: Men's singles winner Andre Agassi: ``I saw Bruce Springsteen in concert in Paris the other night and all my life I've never wanted to be anybody else. But that night I wanted to be `The Boss' up there on stage.''
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
------------------------------------------------------------
This story was printed from Net Express located at http://www.expressindia.com. Net Express provides a portal to India, with news from The Indian Express and The Financial Express along with sites on travel and tourism, the entertainment industry, the power sector, the environment and much more.
------------------------------------------------------------