去年的美国网球公开赛上Agassi对Blake的5盘大战至今令人难忘，而今年的美网又是Agassi的告别演出。因此我今年决定改变往年只从16强才开始看比赛的习惯，提前从第二轮就关注比赛进程。结果证明这个决定是相当英明的！

今晚36岁的Agassi面对排名第8的种子选手，年仅21岁的Baghdatis打出了极高的水准。到第3盘时我一度认为可以轻取而去干别的事，没想到Baghdatis这时才开始发力。第4盘Agassi居然让煮熟的鸭子飞掉，当时我的情绪达到最低点。接下来的比赛进程非常有戏剧性，21岁的年青力壮者居然大腿抽筋，而36岁的老将奋战3个半小时依然神勇！Agassi无愧我多年来最欣赏的网球选手，希望他继续过关斩将，战神永远和他在一起！今夜又将因为兴奋而难以入眠，没有去法拉盛现场观战令人遗憾啊。。。

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No quit in Agassi after amazing 5-set victory

Retiring star blows 2-set lead, beats Baghdatis to extend career a bit more

Updated: 1:08 a.m. ET Sept 1, 2006

NEW YORK - How about that? Andre Agassi, 36 years old and burdened by a bad back, held up better than the kid across the net in a thriller that will be talked about for years.

Buoyed by a cortisone injection, along with a raucous, sellout crowd that boosted his spirits when things suddenly looked bleak as could be, Agassi extended his career for at least one more match by beating eighth-seeded Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 7-5 at the U.S. Open.

They traded stinging strokes for nearly four hours as Thursday night became Friday, and it was the 21-year-old Baghdatis who broke down physically, his body contorted by cramps in both thighs during an eight-deuce, four-break-point game that Agassi eventually held to lead 5-4 in the fifth. Later, Baghdatis used the chair umpire’s stand to stretch his aching legs.

And there was Agassi, still hustling to reach seemingly unreachable shots, responding with winners, and skipping out to the baseline to start games at his record 21st consecutive Open — one for each year of Baghdatis’ life.

“Tonight has been another example of moments you’re not guaranteed,” Agassi said.

When it was over, they shook hands at the net, then embraced. And Agassi was quick to thank the 23,700 or so of his closest friends who sure are enjoying quite a ride right along with him at Flushing Meadows.

Baghdatis’ very first serve of the second-round encounter was a fault, eliciting hoots from the stands. Moments later, someone in the upper deck yelled: “Andre, this is your house! And it’s all of us against him!”

As if there were any doubt. Agassi is, after all, an American at the American Grand Slam, one of the most popular players in recent tennis history — and everyone knows each match here could be his last as a pro. That final part is also why Agassi went to the hospital this week for the latest in a series of shots to dull pain from a troublesome sciatic nerve; he could barely stand after his first-round victory over Andrei Pavel.

Against Baghdatis, Agassi missed consecutive backhands to get broken in the fifth set’s opening game. Agassi wiped sweat from his brow, shook his head and trudged slowly toward the sideline. Was the end near? But with the lead — and momentum — finally on Baghdatis’ side, it was youngster who asked for a medical timeout so he could get his strained left thigh massaged.

Agassi took a seat and sighed, while the crowd chanted, “Let’s go, Andre!” And there was nothing wrong with Agassi’s back when he stretched for a low volley at a sharp angle to break right back in the next game. Agassi shook his fist and clenched his teeth, still spry after all these years.

He had appeared to be in control after the first two sets since he had won all 58 matches at the Open with that size lead. And Agassi was up 4-0 in the fourth set, before winners began to come more frequently from the racket of Baghdatis, who knew his role going in, saying: “Sure, I’m the bad guy for tonight.”

Now comes this third-round matchup: Agassi vs. Becker. A classic right? Well, not quite. It’s Benjamin Becker (no relation to Boris), a 25-year-old qualifier from Germany who’s ranked 112th and has won zero tour titles. Becker knocked off No. 30 Sebastien Grosjean in straight sets.

Get past that, and Agassi could face Andy Roddick in the round of 16.

Agassi and Baghdatis share a sponsor and wore shirts with the same weblike design. The difference: Agassi’s was country club white, while Baghdatis’ was a neon orange. And the kid topped off his look with a hip headwrap, the sort of thing Agassi might have donned a decade or more ago.

The clock might as well have been turned back, though, the way Agassi smacked balls from inside the baseline, the thwack from his racket echoing off the court’s walls. He was having a great time, plain and simple, just like his wife, former star Steffi Graf, who was smiling and clapping in the stands. Agassi saluted the crowd when it did the wave in the third set. When Baghdatis sailed one lob long, ending a point, Agassi went ahead and hit the ball through his legs anyway, as if to say: “Hey, I’ve still got it.”

But Baghdatis, an up-and-coming star who reached the Australian Open final and Wimbledon semifinals this year, wouldn’t make it easy, even after he tumbled and hurt his left wrist in the first set. He was visited by a trainer, who gave him some pain pills, and Baghdatis’ two-fisted backhand gave him fits.

Still, Baghdatis began yelling, pounding his chest, drawing some boos. An animated Baghdatis shook off a shanked overhead by laughing and crossing himself, and when Agassi eventually trailed, Graf covered her mouth, the picture of worry.

Baghdatis finished with 86 unforced errors, 39 more than Agassi, an eight-time major champion and one of only five men with a career Grand Slam.

Because Agassi went only 8-7 this year before the Open, he’s unseeded, which is why he had to face someone ranked as highly as Baghdatis so early.

Not only did they put on quite a show, but Agassi provided the day’s signature moment even before swatting a ball: After a morning practice session, he autographed a teen’s forehead with a marker, making sure the final “i” was dotted.

Agassi simply stunning in five-set thriller

Matthew Cronin

Only Andre Agassi could take a cortisone shot in his back on Tuesday, limp around for another day and then come out and make young stud Marcos Baghdatis cramp in agony on Thursday night at the US Open.

Another Agassi minor miracle happened Thursday night and a major one is brewing; which it could turn into the most unexpected feat the eight-times Grand Slam champion has ever pulled off.

On Thursday night in front of a raucous, packed crowd at Ashe stadium, Agassi barely survived a spirited effort from the eight-seeded Cypriot, winning 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 7-5 in three hours and 49 minutes of daring, gutsy tennis.

"I know I'm gonna go out there and work hard and certainly try, but you're not guaranteed these moments," Agassi said. "To feel it out there was something I can keep with me forever."

Agassi was incredibly consistent in the first two-and-a-half sets of the contest. He was advantageous and cocksure of his ability to win the match.

Then the sorcerer from Cyprus began to fly around the court and Agassi began to seriously doubt himself.

Yes, Agassi has played dozens of critical matches at the Grand Slams. He's played 61 of them and this is his 21st US Open.

But this time he wasn't expected to do much coming into the tournament. He had only played a handful of matches this year, hadn't won a title, and in the past five weeks he has taken two cortisone shots to dull the pain in his back that is a result form a sciatic nerve injury.

Agassi went through a world of emotions on the court Thursday night and the crowd went with him. Agassi grew nervous after going up 4-0 in the fourth set and his rock-solid backhand and thunderous forehand went wide and long. The chest-pounding Baghdatis looked like he would pull away form the 36-year-old in the fifth set.

But the crowd kept Agassi in it, and although he struggled on his service games, he kept pushing himself as hard as he could, matching Baghdatis drop shot for drop shot, deft volley for deft volley, screaming forehand for brutish backhand.

Agassi's constant, thudding ground attack finally took Baghdatis' legs out form under him, as he began to cramp late in the fifth set, limping around and struggling to run.

At 4-4 it looked like Baghdatis would have to quit as he fell to the ground and couldn't get up for about 30 seconds, for which he received a time violation. But he got up, hopped around a little bit and nearly broke Agassi, who fought off four break points.

Baghdatis said that stress caused the cramps. It's not easy playing the most popular man in U.S. history in front of 24,000 screaming fans.

"I just wanted to fight, playing Andre on center court on Ashe stadium, I wanted to die on court," Baghdatis said. "I would do anything to win and that's what I did."

Baghdatis kept getting back up and although he lost a fair amount of his foot speed, he kept lacing winners even when it appeared that they would have to send the medics out to carry him off on a stretcher.

And the 36-year-old Agassi? He was just fine physically due to the wonders of modern medicine and the cortisone shot that turned his mummy like body into a gleaming temple.

In the end, the kid's speed, creativity, and love of the battle ceased to matter, as the legend found ways to poke holes in his game, made him press and finally forced him into a backhand crosscourt error to win the match.

The crows was delirious, Agassi went into his standard bowing and kissing routine and even the macho John MCenroe went to great lengths to profess his undying love for Agassi and his legacy in the post-match, on-court interview.

"I've lived a dream for 21 years," Agassi said. "It's gonna be impossible for me to be disappointed with a result when you have that sort of support and feeling out there. This is why I chose [to retire] here."

Agassi said on Tuesday night that he still had a few miracles left in him. And given how many times he's proved the bookmakers wrong, its hard to doubt him.

His next opponent is young a German, Benjamin Becker, who has little chance against him, unless Agassi's back all of a sudden goes bad.

Then it's likely the red-hot Andy Roddick on Labor Day in the fourth round. Agassi has had Roddick's number in his pocket, so you can't completely discount his chances there either.

Agassi won't say he's in true contention yet, but he says that he's playing better than he has in a year and if he can survive Baghdatis — who reached the Australian Open final and Wimbledon semis this year — there's no way you can say that he doesn't have a champion's chance of storming deep into the second week.

That would be a retirement party that New York would absolutely love.

"I'm not thinking that way, " Agassi said. "I'm thinking about my next one. The last two have taken all of me. You can be incredibly fit and not prepared. If your body is not letting you do something, whether it's playing in pain or whether it's getting sick, anything can happen out there. You got to just treat each match with a great amount of respect and urgency."

Just like his foes and his fans treat him.

洪钢：阿加西是冲突大师

http://sports.sina.com.cn 2006年09月01日16:14 足球-劲体育

　　冲突即戏剧。对自己的生活，阿加西是一位出色的导演，一位冲突大师。他是网球天才，但他始终不想把自己局限于网球；他是一个倔强的人，但也富于幽默感；他思维缜密，但行事出人意料。---洪钢

　　还记得十几年前，第一次在电视上认识阿加西的时候，他披着一头长发，戴着耳钉，穿着紫色的上衣，如果不是播放了他打网球的镜头，我还以为这又是一个流行歌手在接受专访。当时从外形来说，他是一个时尚青年，完全处于伦德尔、桑普拉斯、埃德伯格这些网球选手的标准形象的对立面。

　　这仅仅是对立和冲突的开始，在阿加西身上总能源源不断地发现他是一个矛盾的结合体。

　　一个拳击手的儿子，却凭借技巧挥动网球拍；一个伊朗移民的后裔，却成为美国最著名的运动员之一；他的前任夫人是性感的代表，他的现任夫人是贤内助的典范；当大家说他应该专心于网球的时候，他在挥霍青春。当大家都说他老了的时候，他在制造金色黄昏。

　　他开始打网球的时候，是一个发球机器林立的时代：伊万尼塞维奇，桑普拉斯，贝克尔，埃德伯格。发球似乎是决定性的，阿加西却以37个接发球得分来赢得大满贯(1992年温网决赛战胜伊万)。

　　面对自己万花筒式的生活，他不得不说上一句：“I consider myself quite boring,to be honest.”

　　说到阿加西不得不提桑普拉斯，反过来也一样。这是两个怎么看都说不到一块的人，但他们演绎了竞技的殊途同归。这是真正的硬币的两面，完全不一样，但是缺了任何一方都不再是完整的硬币。上天恩赐了两位巨星同时出现，而且他们那样和谐，包括他们的每一个不同点。单就网球而言，桑普拉斯比阿加西伟大，但就一个网球手而言，阿加西比桑普拉斯内涵丰富。

　　如果说阿加西和桑普拉斯的故事赢得了男人，那么他和格拉夫的故事则征服了女人。

　　当阿加西开始追求格拉夫的时候，后者本人和所有人一样觉得不可思议。但是阿加西锲而不舍，还买通各色人等以了解格拉夫的行踪。当年阿加西和波姬小丝更被人看好，那似乎更像是一对，但是人是会变的，阿加西更是从浪子变成了君子。正是在对格拉夫的追求过程中，阿加西不仅找到了另一半，也才真正找到了自己本来的那一半。所以，他对格拉夫的爱几乎到了让人肉麻的程度：“我们打网球总是她赢。我的问题在于眼睛没法不离开球。”

　　阿加西在1992年夺得首个大满贯的同时，还结束了前辈约翰·麦肯罗的网球故事。14年后，阿加西自己的网球故事也马上要翻到最后一页。现在，麦肯罗说：“他在退役后的成就定将超过他的网球成就，这听上去几乎不可能，但我对此非常有信心。”

疯狂的巴格达蒂斯！更疯狂的阿加西！！

梦想彼岸

现在关于阿加西的一切都成了新闻卖点，就拿他的第二轮对手来说吧，不知道是我以前太孤陋寡闻还是咋的，反正从没听有人说过巴格达蒂斯像年轻时的阿加西，如今塞浦路斯人站到了网对面，好事的媒体就把什么都整出来了，从二者的成长经历、性格特点乃至穿着打扮，好象巴格达蒂斯真的跟阿加西有多大相似一样。最过分的是居然还有人提到了技术打法，说实话我有点想骂娘，说两个人打法相似，这哪跟哪呀，除了两个人都戴过大头巾，我真没发现他俩还有什么别的共同点！

不过好在老阿很快就有了证明自己跟这个大胡子有多大区别的良机，尽管赛前一度传出他背伤难忍，只能靠打封闭来缓解的不利消息，让人们似乎已经提前看到了一段传奇旅程的终点就在眼前，但是今夜的法拉盛仍然是属于阿加西的，在一场令人窒息的3小时48分钟五盘大战之后，“活着”走出球场的不是21岁那个，而是36岁那个，传奇仍在继续，阿加西的告别秀至少要演第三集。

之所以说巴格达蒂斯的球风与老阿风马牛不相及，除了他们的正反手都有明显不同的打法之外，最根本的一点在于阿加西拥有相当扎实稳健的底线功力，虽然他在底线击球时正反手都显得攻击性十足，但是其稳定性仍然相当高，说得俗气一点就是底线能力“炉火纯青”，而塞浦路斯人则是典型的神经刀，属于技术稳定性不够但是搏杀能力十足的选手，屡有令人拍案叫绝的击球，一旦打疯了就势不可挡，但是打蔫儿了也是谁都敢输，这也就不难解释为什么他全年战绩平平，就在澳网和温网上来了两次大爆发。

所以我想今晚阿瑟阿什球场里99%以上的人都在祈祷神经刀不要在这一天良性发作，而在比赛的前两盘之后，所有人都觉得自己的祈祷奏效了，谁知道好戏才刚刚上演。塞浦路斯人在第三盘扳回一城，而老阿已显出体能弱势，不详的预感在包括我在内的大多数人心里面升腾，直到第四盘的4：0，中央球场开始欢声雷动，人们以为可以在午夜之前美滋滋的离去，接下来发生的一切让所有人目瞪口呆：7：5！巴格达蒂斯居然在一盘之内破了老阿三个发球局！

此时恐怕阿加西最坚定的支持者心里也已凉了半截，回想一下去年的罗兰加洛斯，35岁的阿加西在被涅米宁拖入决胜盘之后力不从心的表现，我甚至开始担心一代传奇会不会用最尴尬的零蛋来结束这一切，后面发生的事情大家都知道了，纽约不是巴黎，36岁的阿加西也远比35岁的阿加西更有斗志，在第9局7次平分的惨烈争夺中，每个人都能感受到这个36岁的中年人所拥有的信念和斗志，也正是靠这一点，老阿最后摧垮了同样意志坚定的巴格达蒂斯，也用一场近乎悲壮的胜利向世人证明：廉颇未老！

赛前表示自己非常喜欢阿加西的塞浦路斯人没有食言，他说自己会拿出最好的表现来迎战自己的偶像，巴格达蒂斯的表现有没有在最好很难说，但是他疯狂的求胜欲望却是毫无疑问的。面对世界上最好的接发球选手阿加西，面对底线能力超强的阿加西，大胡子轰出了23记ACE，打出了83记的制胜球，即便是对于一场五盘大战来说，这个数字也足够惊人，同样惊人的还有他86次的非受迫性失误，正是因为这惊人的失误次数，让阿加西找到了取胜的空间。

而对于阿加西来说，他的疯狂不在于每一拍都欲置对手于死地的进攻，而在于以36岁的身体，竟然能在五盘大战中展现如此的斗志与毅力。谁都知道他渴望这最后时光里的每一场胜利，但是在今天之前，恐怕没有几个人能想到，他的渴望竟然是这样强烈，这些在他16岁、26岁时都不曾带给我们的震撼，竟然在他36岁的时候给我们奉上，我只想对老阿说一句：牛！是个男人！