Nadal Topples Agassi to Earn His First Hardcourt Title
washingtonpost.com
Monday, August 15, 2005
Nineteen-year-old Rafael Nadal won on a hardcourt for the first time, beating 35-year-old Andre Agassi , 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, in the Masters Series final yesterday in Montreal.
The French Open champion's left-handed shotmaking got the better of Agassi, who was missing the lines with his winners in a baseline battle interrupted 58 minutes after the first set by rain.
It was the top-seeded Spaniard's third victory in a row and his ATP-tour-leading ninth tournament win of the year. His eight previous wins, including the French Open, were on slower clay courts.
Nadal, who has a 16-match winning streak, won $400,000 while Agassi pocketed $200,000.
Fourth-seeded Agassi, who was coming off a win in Los Angeles two weeks ago, ended a 10-match winning streak.
It was the first meeting between Nadal, considered the sport's next superstar, and Agassi, who has won 60 tournaments, including eight grand slams and three wins in the Canadian event, in his 19-year career.
The two had some spectacular rallies, with Nadal repeatedly running down cross-court shots that looked impossible to reach.
The 16-year age gap between finalists was the largest on the ATP tour since 1979, when 35-year-old Tom Okker beat 19-year-old Per Hjertquist in Tel Aviv. . . . |
