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Andre Agassi Wins Australian Open
The Australian Open men's final was a battle from the baseline, and nobody plays that game better than Andre Agassi.
Dominating from the start, Agassi won his seventh Grand Slam tournament title Sunday by beating surprise finalist Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
When Agassi cracked a backhand winner on the first championship
point, he doffed his cap, shook hands with Clement, raised his fists and
blew a kiss to his girlfriend, Steffi Graf. Then Agassi responded to a
standing ovation with his customary bow to the four sides of the
stadium.
Agassi, the defending champion, won a major tournament in back-to-back years for the first time. He was also the Australian Open champion in 1995.
``You never know when the last time you're going to be here is,'' Agassi said during the trophy ceremony. ``It never ceases to be overwhelming. All the work and all the training that goes into putting yourself in this position is difficult and hard, but it's worth it.''
Clement, gracious in defeat, apologized for his poor English and then read a long prepared speech that charmed the crowd.
``To compete in a Grand Slam final is something that seems unreal to me,'' Clement said. He then paused, choking back tears. ``I would like to congratulate Andre for his tournament and his fantastic career.''
The sixth-seeded Agassi won with steady, unspectacular tennis, controlling most of the rallies and wearing down the speedy, 142-pound Clement by running him from side to side. It was a smart tactic because the 15th-seeded Frenchman was coming off the longest match of the tournament, a four-hour, five-set semifinal win Friday over countryman Sebastien Grosjean.
Agassi enjoyed another advantage: experience. He was playing in his 12th Grand Slam tournament final, Clement his first. Clement was the first Frenchman to reach the Australian Open final since Jean Borotra in 1928.
But there was little chance of Agassi taking the matchup lightly, because Clement beat him in the second round of last year's U.S. Open.
On a cool, sunny summer day, Agassi started quickly. He earned two early service breaks for a 4-1 lead, served out the first set at love, then broke again at love in the next game.
By the end of the second set, Agassi had a frustrated Clement talking to himself.
``C'mon, what's this?'' he said in French after double-faulting.
Agassi committed only 17 unforced errors in the 1-hour, 46-minute victory.
With seven Grand Slam tournament titles, he ties John McEnroe, John Newcombe, Mats Wilander and five others for 10th on the men's list. He moves ahead of Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg, who won six major titles each.
The only other man to win three Australian Open titles in the Open era is Wilander.
``I'm just so thrilled to be able to share this moment again,'' Agassi told the crowd. ``I'll try again next year.''
Now the question becomes whether Agassi can sustain his fast start this year. After winning the 2000 Australian Open, he failed to win another tournament or reach another Grand Slam final.
Agassi's victory meant an American sweep of singles for the fifth time in the past seven Grand Slam events. Jennifer Capriati won her first major title Saturday by upsetting top-seeded Martina Hingis.
Agassi earned $473,385 and Clement received $236,693.
Capriati Wins First Grand Slam Final
Jennifer Capriati stunned top seed Martina Hingis when she grabbed an early lead in the final of the Australian Open on Saturday, winning 6-4, 6-3.
A confident Capriati broke Hingis's opening two service games to set up a 4-0 lead, her heavy and accurate groundstrokes keeping the world number one running to all corners of the Melbourne Park center court.
After taking an improbable lead against the red hot favorite, 12th seed Capriati served for the set in the eighth game only to drop her serve for the first time. She also had two set points on Hingis's serve in the ninth game but was unable to convert them. Capriati then held her nerve to serve out the set in the 10th game on her third set point.
Hingis, by contrast, started slowly and did not serve well until the fifth game, littering her play with unforced errors.
Hingis is bidding for her fourth Melbourne title after winning the season-opening Grand Slam from 1997-99 and losing last year's final to Lindsay Davenport. Hingis, 20, has not won a Grand Slam title since Melbourne in 1999 after capturing five as a teenager.
The Swiss recorded a career milestone when she beat both Williams sisters on the way to the final -- the first time she had managed to defeat Serena and Venus at the same tournament.
Capriati, the 1992 Olympic gold medalist, reached the semifinals in Melbourne last year but the 24-year-old former teen prodigy is playing in her first Grand Slam final.
2001 Australian Open Champions
Men's singles - Andre Agassi (6), United States
Women's singles - Jennifer Capriati (12), United States
Men's doubles - Jonas Bjorkman, Sweden, and Todd Woodbridge (4), Australia
Women's doubles - Serena and Venus Williams, United States
Mixed doubles - Ellis Ferreira, South Africa, and Corina Morariu (3), United States
Legends men's doubles - John Fitzgerald and Wally Masur, Australia
Legends mixed doubles - Nicole Bradtke and Tony Roche, Australia
Boy's singles - Janko Tipsarevic (1), Yugoslavia
Girl's singles - Jelena Jankovic (1), Yugoslavia
Boy's doubles - Ytai Abougzir, United States, and Luciano
Vitullo, Argentina
Girl's doubles - Petra Cetkovska and Barbora Strycova (1), Czech Republic
All-Time Men's Majors Titles
Australian French Wimbledon U.S. Overall
---------- ------ --------- ---- -------
Pete Sampras 2 - 7 4 13
Roy Emerson 6 2 2 2 12
Bjorn Borg - 6 5 0 11
Rod Laver 3 2 4 2 11
Bill Tilden - 0 3 7 10
Jimmy Connors 1 - 2 5 8
Ivan Lendl 2 3 0 3 8
Fred Perry 1 1 3 3 8
Ken Rosewall 4 2 0 2 8
Andre Agassi 3 1 1 2 7
Henri Cochet - 4 2 1 7
Rene Lacoste - 3 2 2 7
Bill Larned - - - 7 7
John McEnroe - 0 3 4 7
John Newcombe 2 - 3 2 7
Willie Renshaw - - 7 - 7
Richard Sears - - - 7 7
Mats Wilander 3 3 - 1 7
All-Time Women's Majors Titles
Australian French Wimbledon U.S. Overall
---------- ------ --------- ---- -------
Margaret Smith Court 11 5 3 5 24
Steffi Graf 4 6 7 5 22
Helen Wills Moody - 4 8 7 19
Martina Navratilova 3 2 9 4 18
Chris Evert 2 7 3 6 18
Billie Jean King 1 1 6 4 12
Maureen Connolly 1 2 3 3 9
Monica Seles 4 3 0 2 9
Suzanne Lenglen - 2 6 - 8
Molla Mallory - - 0 8 8
Dorothea Chambers - - 7 - 7
Maria Bueno 0 0 3 4 7
Evonne Goolagong 4 1 2 0 7
M.Osborne du Pont - 2 1 3 6
Nancye Wynne Bolton 6 - - 0 6
Blanche Bingley - - 6 - 6
Louise Brough 1 - 4 1 6
Doris Hart 1 2 1 2 6
Others
Martina Hingis 3 0 1 1 5
Jennifer Capriati 1 - - - 1
Australian Open Notebook
Woodbridge Still the Man
Even with a brand-new partner, Todd Woodbridge is tough to beat when it comes to Grand
Slam doubles. Woodbridge, who formed a formidable tandem with Mark Woodforde for
years, teamed with Jonas Bjorkman to win the doubles title at the Australian Open on
Saturday, beating Byron Black and David Prinosil 6-1, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. Woodbridge and
Woodforde -- known as "The Woodies" -- won 11 major doubles titles together, one short of the record. They played in 15 major finals. "It's a lot different for me because it's the first
Slam since the 1980s that I've played with a different partner," Woodbridge said. Sweden's Bjorkman is a doubles star in his own right, having captured three of the last Australian Open
crowns -- each with a different partner. He teamed with Jacco Eltingh in 1998 to beat
Australians Woodbridge and Woodforde in the final, and played with Pat Rafter in 1999.
For Bjorkman, it was a third Australian Open doubles crown in the last four years, all with
different partners. "Thanks, Jonas," Woodbridge said. "I guess you had some pretty big shoes
to fill and you seemed to have filled them very quickly." Black, playing his 37th consecutive
Grand Slam doubles tournament, was teaming with Prinosil for the first time. Black's record in
major tournament finals dropped to 1-3. Woodbridge and Bjorkman split $196,900. Black and Prinosil share $98,450.
Happy Birthday
In a late birthday present for Corina Morariu, she and Ellis Ferreira beat Joshua Eagle and
Barbara Schett 6-1, 6-3 Sunday to win the mixed doubles championship at the Australian
Open. It was the second Grand Slam tournament trophy for each of the winners. Morariu
teamed with Lindsay Davenport to win the women's doubles at Wimbledon in 1999. Ferreira
and Rick Leach won the men's doubles last year at the Australian Open against Wayne Black
and Andrew Kratzmann, and their 18-16 fifth set, which lasted two hours, was twice as long
as Sunday's entire match. On Morariu's 23rd birthday Friday, she and Davenport let a 3-1
lead slip away in the final set and lost the women's doubles final to American compatriots
Venus and Serena Williams. "I got a little belated birthday," Morariu said in accepting her
mixed doubles trophy. "This makes up for Friday."
Morariu said she had asked the 30-year-old South African shortly before the Open to be her
mixed doubles partner, although "he doesn't have a very good reputation for putting in 100
percent effort in mixed. ... But he played great, obviously." Ferreira said the problem in the
past was that in mixed, "I always felt that I had to do more. I would miss shots and get
frustrated with myself." Morariu was such a good partner, he added, that he was able to play
the same way he would in men's doubles.
Single Purpose
Martina Hingis recently split with doubles partner Anna Kournikova. Now Hingis might quit doubles altogether. Hingis said it takes her longer to recover these days, and she may have to reconsider playing doubles because the match play is too arduous at a Grand Slam. "When you're a kid, you have so much energy -- when you're 16, 17," said the 20-year-old Swiss. "When you're a child, so many things come a lot easier to you. But, you know, you have more experience the older you are. I can build on that." The top-ranked Hingis, who lost to 24-year-old Jennifer Capriati in the Australian Open singles final on Saturday, has won five Grand Slam singles titles: the Australian Open from 1997-99, and Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 1997.
Steeling Victory
Stefano Capriati says he's always known his daughter had what it takes to win a major tournament. "I know the steel of my daughter," Stefano said after Jennifer's 6-4, 6-3 victory over No. 1 Hingis in Saturday's final. "(When) she won the Olympics, she had the will, the desire. She lost it for a while, but I know it's in her and I hope it lasts a long time. I'm very proud, I'm proud of her all the time, but especially now." Jennifer made the Wimbledon semifinals as a 14-year-old in 1991, and won the Olympic gold medal at Barcelona in 1992. But she dropped off the tour for more than two years due to drug and personal problems. Saturday's match was Capriati's first Grand Slam event final. Can she win another major title? "It's a question of the time," Stefano said. "If she keeps working the way she's working -- Yes."
Capriati-Hingis Boxscore
The boxscore Thursday of No. 12 Jennifer Capriati's 6-3, 6-4 victory over No. 1 Martina
Hingis in the women's championship of the Australian Open:
Capriati Hingis
-------- ------
1st serve percentage 67 71
Aces 1 0
Doubles faults 3 2
Unforced errors 20 32
1st serve winning pct. 67 57
2nd serve winning pct. 69 47
Winners (including service) 16 13
Break point conversions 3-6 1-1
Net approaches 7-10 11-17
Total points 63 51
Time of match 1:03
Road to the Championship (Women)
Jennifer Capriati (12)
----------------------
First round - def. Henrieta Nagyova, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.
Second round - def. Miriam Oremans, 6-0, 6-2.
Third round - def. Virginia Ruano-Pascual, 6-0, 6-2.
Fourth round - def. Marta Marrero, 7-5, 6-1.
Quarterfinals - def. Monica Seles (4), 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
Semifinals - def. Lindsay Davenport (2), 6-3, 6-4.
Championship - def. Martina Hingis (1), 6-4, 6-3.
Agassi-Clement Boxscore
The boxscore Sunday of No. 6 Andre
Agassi's 6-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory over No. 15 Arnaud Clement in the
men's championship of the Australian Open:
Agassi Clement
------ -------
1st serve percentage 65 52
Aces 7 5
Doubles faults 1 7
Unforced errors 31 43
1st serve winning pct. 72 60
2nd serve winning pct. 46 40
Winners (including service) 24 34
Break point conversions 7-15 2-6
Net approaches 11-15 5-9
Total points 94 77
Time of match 1:46
Road to the Championship (Men)
Andre Agassi (6)
----------------
First round - def. Jiri Vanek, 6-0, 7-5, 6-3.
Second round - def. Paul Goldstein, 6-1, 6-3, 6-1.
Third round - def. David Prinosil, 7-6 (13-11), 5-0, retired.
Fourth round - def. Andrew Ilie, 6-7 (1-7), 6-3, 6-0, 6-3.
Quarterfinals - def. Todd Martin, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.
Semifinals - def. Patrick Rafter (12), 7-5, 2-6, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-3.
Championship - def. Arnaud Clement (15), 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
Agassi's Career Grand Slam Finals Record
Record: 7-5
1990 French Open - lost to Andres Gomez, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
1990 U.S. Open - lost to Pete Sampras, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.
1991 French Open - lost to Jim Courier, 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.
1992 Wimbledon - def. Goran Ivanisevic, 6-7 (8), 6-4, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.
1994 U.S. Open - def. Michael Stich, 6-1, 7-6 (5), 7-5.
1995 Australian Open - def. Pete Sampras, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (6), 6-4.
1995 U.S. Open - lost to Pete Sampras, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.
1999 French Open - def. Andrei Medvedev, 1-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.
1999 Wimbledon - lost to Pete Sampras, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5.
1999 U.S. Open - def. Todd Martin, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-2.
2000 Australian Open - def. Yevgeny Kafelnikov, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
2001 Australian Open - def. Arnaud Clement, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
Australian Open Men's Champions (1990-2001)
1990 - Ivan Lendl
1991 - Boris Becker
1992 - Jim Courier
1993 - Jim Courier
1994 - Pete Sampras
1995 - Andre Agassi
1996 - Boris Becker
1997 - Pete Sampras
1998 - Petr Korda
1999 - Yevgeny Kafelnikov
2000 - Andre Agassi
2001 - Andre Agassi
Australian Open Women's Champions (1990-2000)
1990 - Steffi Graf
1991 - Monica Seles
1992 - Monica Seles
1993 - Monica Seles
1994 - Steffi Graf
1995 - Mary Pierce
1996 - Monica Seles
1997 - Martina Hingis
1998 - Martina Hingis
1999 - Martina Hingis
2000 - Lindsay Davenport
2001 - Jennifer Capriati