Agassi rallies, beats Dent at Australian Open
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-01-22 10:07

Andre Agassi knows exactly what works and what doesn't at the Australian Open. He's won it four times. So when he was down 4-1 in the first set, Agassi reverted to instinct in Friday's match against Taylor Dent, who didn't know when to quit coming to the net.

Dent, one of the rare serve-and-volleyers left on the circuit, took a beating as Agassi put his baseline-prowling and counterpunching skills to good use and won 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-1 to reach the fourth round. Agassi had never failed to make it that far in his previous eight trips to Melbourne.

Andre Agassi of the U.S. pumps his fist as he celebrates after his third round match against compatriot Taylor Dent on Rod Laver Arena at the Australian Open at Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 21 2005. Agassi defeated Dent in straight sets 7-5 7-6 6-1. [AP]

Dent won just more than half his 136 net approaches, but in the final set he won less than a third.

That set was like therapy for Agassi: Dent came to the net, Agassi whacked a backhand winner down the line; Dent came to the net again, Agassi drilled a forehand pass; another approach, countered with a lob; a big serve and, pow, back came a winning return.

Dent, sweat spilling off him, made 39 unforced errors. Agassi committed a miserly six — and none in the third set.

The 34-year-old Agassi admired Dent's gallant charges, but had no compunctions about using his fellow American for target practice.

"Listen, I was settling in for whatever it was going to take," Agassi said. "The guy's really talented, can make a lot of shots that you just don't expect him to be able to pull off. If you're not on your game, he's one of the worst guys to play."

After trading breaks in the second set, Agassi had five chances to break Dent in the 11th game and then serve for the set. But Dent scrambled and won that game, then had three set points of his own before Agassi got rolling. Agassi dominated the tiebreaker, earning a 5-2 cushion when his forehand crosscourt ricocheted off the net and over Dent.

Agassi came into the tournament with a slight tear in a tendon in his right hip. He showed no signs that it would slow him.

"I felt good and I felt healthy," he said. "No problems."

This was a day of tumbles and torn muscles.

Fourth-seeded Marat Safin, the runner-up last year, twisted his right ankle and fell on his face in the fourth set against 28th-seeded Mario Ancic. He got up, put more tape on his ankle and beat Ancic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

"When I twisted my ankle, I just kind of stopped a little bit thinking about the way I was playing," Safin said. "And I played quite a good game afterwards."

Defending champion Roger Federer led Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 5-2 when the Finnish player retired with a torn abdominal muscle, giving the top-ranked Swiss his career-best 24th consecutive win.

French Open champion Gaston Gaudio, seeded 10th, needed treatment on both thighs before losing a 4-hour, 21-minute marathon to No. 20 Dominik Hrbaty.

Lisa Raymond lasted one game of her doubles match before retiring with a strained back muscle, leaving her doubtful for Saturday's third-round match against Anastasia Myskina, the women's French Open winner.

Russia's two other major winners from last year — Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova and U.S. Open champ Svetlana Kuznetsova — advanced in straight sets, as did No. 7 Serena Williams, the 2003 Australian Open champion.

Second-seeded Amelie Mauresmo moved into the fourth round after beating Ana Ivanovic of Serbia-Montenegro, 6-2, 7-5. Serena Williams, without a Grand Slam title last year, ended her 6-1, 6-4 win over India's wild-card entry Sania Mirza with an ace. The six-time major winner served 12 aces and double-faulted only once, renewing confidence in her serve.

"Finally, after forever it seems," she said.

In doubles, 48-year-old Martina Navratilova kept right on going, advancing to the third round with Daniela Hantuchova.

Agassi hasn't lost to an American at the Australian Open since falling to Vincent Spadea in the fourth round in 1999. He's lost only once at Melbourne Park since, when Safin ended his 26-match winning streak in last year's semifinals.

Agassi could get another shot at Safin in the semis. But he first has to get past 11th-seeded Joachim Johnsson, a 6-foot-6 Swede he's never faced, and a potential quarterfinal against Federer.

Joachim ripped a forehand crosscourt winner to set up match point against No. 24 Feliciano Lopez and closed a 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 7-6 (2), 13-11 win with an ace — his 38th — in just under four hours.

Thomas Johansson, the 2002 Australian Open champion, rallied for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-2 win over American Kevin Kim. He won the Australian title the year Agassi was sidelined with an injured wrist.

Federer has won his last four matches against Agassi, including a five-setter in the quarterfinals at the last U.S. Open. Agassi was one of only two players who took a set off Federer at the U.S. Open.

Marcos Baghdatis, a Cypriot qualifier in his first major, is next up for Federer after upsetting 13th-seeded Tommy Robredo 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-1. Baghdatis was backed by a chanting group of Greek Cypriots at Margaret Court Arenapriots that let off red flares at the finish.

Federer, after dominating 2004 with 11 titles, including three majors, realizes he's everyone's biggest target. When he lost his opening service to Nieminen, he was "irritated" and spectators were aghast.

"Now I feel, at times, when I get broken, people are surprised," Federer said. "So I don't want to know how it is when I lose a set. We'll see what happens at the next match. But I think they're so used to me winning, people don't understand when I'm losing. It's not that simple."

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