Cant's throw that racquet, Barking is how you get bit!

Agassi thrashes Schuettler for fourth Australian Open crown

January 26, 2003

MELBOURNE, Australia (Ticker) - Andre Agassi made the Australian Open final look less like a Grand Slam championship match and more like target practice.

Agassi routed underdog Rainer Schuettler, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1, in 76 minutes Sunday to become the first overseas man to capture four Australian Open singles titles.

The second-seeded American is just the fourth man to lift the Australian Open trophy at least four times and the first non-Australian. Roy Emerson won a record six crowns (1961, 1963-67) and Jack Crawford (1931-33, 1935) and Ken Rosewall (1953, 1955, 1971-72) captured four apiece.

After completing one of the most one-sided finals at this event, Agassi paid tribute to coach Darren Cahill, trainer Gil Reyes and the crowd.

"There's not a single day that's guaranteed or promised to us and days like this are rare, so today means such a lot to me," he said. "I'll never forget being here and playing for you and never forget the support and love I feel playing down here. I feel half-Australian."

The final matched the record for fewest games in a men's final set in 1923 when Pat O'Hara Wood beat C.B. St. John, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3. It was duplicated three years later as John Hawkes topped Jim Willard, 6-1, 6-3, 6-1.

It was the most lopsided Grand Slam men's final since John McEnroe lost just four games to Jimmy Connors at Wimbledon in 1984.

"Congratulations to Andre. I tried my best, but he was simply too good for me today," Schuettler said after receiving the runner-up trophy. "There is one positive thing - everybody is looking forward to the French Open."

Schuettler was alluding to Agassi's bet with his wife - tennis great Steffi Graf, who retired in 1999 with 22 Grand Slam titles - that she would return to the court with him in the mixed doubles at the French Open if he won here.

"She's not too pleased about that, but hopefully I'll have 50 years with her to be mad at me about more things," Agassi said. "I don't think anybody appreciates how hard this is going to be for me to get her out there. There is nothing about this she is going to enjoy.

"I assure you if we play, we don't have much chance. Definitely not. First of all, I don't play doubles. Secondly, if I did play doubles, I don't usually play against women. Thirdly, I could never aggressively hit at the woman. I just couldn't do it. On top if it, she's just probably stroked the ball, hasn't played a match in years. But I guarantee you, you would see a big smile on my face and we would have a lot of fun."

Agassi extended his winning streak at this event to a record 21 matches and improved to 39-3 all-time here. After capturing the title in 1995, 2000 and 2001, the Las Vegas native missed last year's event due to a wrist injury.

In securing his eighth Grand Slam crown, the 32-year-old American was awesome. He dropped just one set and yielded only 48 games - 15 coming in a four-set fourth-round win over Frenchman Nicolas Escude.

"It means the world to win a Grand Slam," said Agassi, who earned $654,000. "To win eight is beyond my wildest dreams. I've been overwhelmed with winning from the first I experienced it. I play the game with urgency when I'm out there. I feel like I can always see what somebody can do. I'm always trying to impose myself. But to absorb this takes some time."

Agassi's win tied him for sixth on the all-time list for Grand Slam triumphs. He also became the sixth-oldest major singles champion at 32 year, 272 days and the oldest man to win a Grand Slam singles title since Rosewall won the Australian Open in 1972 at 37.

Agassi certainly is getting better with age, with five of his major triumphs coming after he turned 29.

"I've said so many times, as you get older you sort of realize so quickly how these moments pass," he said. "You want to make the most of them. To take advantage out of the opportunity today and to win down here again was just more than I could dream of."

Schuettler clearly did not have the weapons to compete against a player of Agassi's caliber in a Grand Slam final. He had not gotten past the fourth round at any major and has won just two tournaments since turning professional in 1995.

The 26-year-old German might have gotten a break when his third-round foe - third seed and 2002 runner-up Marat Safin - withdrew with a wrist injury. But he knocked off No. 23 James Blake, No. 10 David Nalbandian and No. 9 Andy Roddick to reach the final.

"Even today it was a great experience for me to play my first final," said Schuettler, who collected $327,000. "I think I played a great tournament. I played two great weeks. For me, it was a dream. It's great to play a final in a Grand Slam."

With the retractable roof at Rod Laver Arena closed, Agassi began his 14th career Grand Slam final with two service breaks and a 3-0 lead.

Schuettler, who lost his only previous meeting with Agassi, got a break back at 2-4, but could not hold on to his serve and the former No. 1 closed out the first set in 29 minutes.

The second set started promisingly for the German, but Agassi snatched his serve in the fifth game and again in the seventh at love. He served it out to take a two sets to none lead in less than an hour.

Three service breaks by Agassi in the third set finished off Schuettler. The veteran American hit a forehand return down the line on his third match point to notch his 55th career title.

After securing victory, Agassi turned to Graf in the stands, smiled and clinched his fists.

"I tried to do something special," Schuettler said. "From the very first point, I was under pressure. He was playing very good. I never had the chance to play my game. It is a little disappointing to play a final and lose easy like that. He played from the first point to the last point the same way."

Earlier Sunday, Martina Navratilova and India's Leander Paes defeated Todd Woodbridge of Australia and Eleni Daniilidou of Greece, 6-4, 7-5, to capture the mixed doubles title.

The 46-year-old Navratilova, playing this event after a 14-year absence, became the oldest Grand Slam champion in tennis history. Sunday's victory also gave her a career sweep of all three titles - singles, doubles and mixed - at all four majors.

The Australian mixed doubles crown was the only major title missing from Navratilova's storied career, which boasts 18 Grand Slam singles crowns, 31 major doubles championships and eight mixed doubles titles.

"It occurred to me Friday night as I was falling asleep, `Wait a minute, this is the only one I've never won,'" said Navratilova, who retired in 1994 but has played doubles at several tournaments. "It's pretty sweet to have them all.

"I think people put too much on the age. I certainly didn't think that I would still be playing at this age. When I was growing up, I wanted to be the youngest to win something, not the oldest."

The naturalized American citizen, who had not won a major title since the mixed doubles at Wimbledon in 1995, notched her 57th Grand Slam crown - second on the all-time list behind Australian great Margaret Court's 62.

Court completed a sweep of titles at all the majors before the Open era (after 1968).

"Martina earlier today said she won her first Grand Slam in 1973. I was born that year," Paes said. "I grew up, my whole childhood, watching Martina play, creating history winning those many Wimbledon titles. I never thought I'd be on the same side of the net as her."

The duo will play the rest of the Grand Slams together this year, and Navratilova also will partner with Svetlana Kuznetsova at the remaining majors.