in Tennis Articles

Agassi's last goodbye!

Two of the greatest tennis players ever are on display at this year’s U.S. Open – allegedly for the last time.

Andre Agassi and Martina Navratilova both say the 2006 Open will be their last trip to Flushing Meadows. Whether that holds true remains to be seen – Navratilova retired after the 1994 Wimbledon event, only to return to doubles action in 2000. But with both players apparently ready to sail off into the sunset, fans at Flushing are throwing their support behind their fellow Americans.

The support for Agassi has already paid off. The 36-year-old was down 6-7, 7-6, 0-4 in his first-round match versus Andrei Pavel; a racquet change and the rallying cries of the fans seemed to lift Agassi to victory. He’ll need even more of that fan-friendly atmosphere in Thursday’s second-round matchup against Marcos Baghdatis, the No. 8 seed. Baghdatis is the –200 favorite. Agassi came into the Open ranked 39th in the world.

This will be the first time these two men have faced each other in singles action. Baghdatis is one of the most promising tennis players to come down the pike in some time. After turning pro in 2003, the Cyprus native first opened eyes when he and Agassi were the only players to take a set from Roger Federer at the 2004 U.S. Open. But Baghdatis really made a name for himself at this year’s Australian Open by reaching the finals as an unseeded player, taking another set from Federer in the final before eventually bowing out. A trip to the semifinals at Wimbledon followed. It seems like only a matter of time before Baghdatis is winning titles on the ATP Tour.

Although Agassi is up against the wall, his supporters are hoping for a similar happy ending to the one Pete Sampras delivered in 2002, when he beat Agassi to win the U.S. Open in what would be his last tournament – so far. Sampras is now playing for World Team Tennis, which should serve as a friendly reminder that retirement isn’t what it used to be.

As for Navratilova, whose 58 Grand Slam titles are second only to Margaret Court’s 62, she comes into Flushing fresh off a doubles victory at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, with Nadia Petrova as her partner. The same tandem is seeded No. 10 at the Open. Their first-round matchup against unseeded American pair Lilia Osterloh and Ahsha Rolle is also on Thursday’s evening schedule.