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Rusedski Rifles Past Agassi

March 4, 2001 / 7:58 PM EST / CBS/AP

Greg Rusedski knew after the first point that he was going to beat Andre Agassi.

With a booming serve at speeds reaching 139 mph, the British lefty upset the Australian Open champ 6-3, 6-4 in the $400,000 Sybase Open final on Sunday.

"The way I was thinking and serving out there, I was in command," Rusedski said.

The indoor tournament's eighth-seed, who earned his 10th career title, had not won a final since October 1999 in Vienna.

The victory avenges Rusedski's appearance in the 1997 final at San Jose Arena, when he was forced to retire against Pete Sampras with a wrist injury.

"I'm back now," Rusedski said. "It's good to be healthy. It's good to be playing good tennis."

Top-seeded Agassi, who had trouble with his first serves, lost for the first time this season, putting his record at 11-1. He was playing in his first tournament since winning the Australian Open.

Down 0-40 to open the second set, Agassi was broken when he overhit as Rusedski rushed the net. But with girlfriend Steffi Graf and coach Brad Gilbert looking on, Agassi held serve to narrow the set to 4-3.

After Agassi again held serve to prolong the final, Rusedski served for the match and won it with a crosscourt shot into the corner that his top-ranked opponent could not reach.

"You have to expect him to serve well," Agassi said. "Once he gets up a break, you feel he gets the feeling that the finish line is in sight."

Rusedski, 27, played with poise and confidence throughout the match's 59 minutes, pummeling Agassi with serves reaching 139 mph. The players had not met since 1997, when Rusedski beat Agassi to advance to the final.

Rusedski hit the fastest serve on the ATP Tour, 149 mph at Indian Wells in 1998. On Sunday, he aced Agassi 13 times.

Agassi, who had dropped just one set in the tournament before Sunday, seemed off all day. He was broken to fall behind in the first set, facing a 136-mph Rusedski ace.

Agassi made just 54 percent of his first-serve points in the opening set, and 65 percent overall. Rusedski, in contrast, won 93 percent of his first-serve points.

"I played a little bit tentative in the first set and he played a good break game," Agassi said. "There was not much I could do, I just got outplayed."

Rusedski, ranked 13th, looks to break into the top 10 with the victory.

Agassi, who beat sixth-seeded Jan-Michael Gambill in the semifinal, was vying for his fifth title in the San FranciscBay Area's ATP Tour stop. The only other player in the open era to win five is John McEnroe.

Agassi, 30, has reached the final of the tournament six times, with his only previous loss coming against Sampras in 1996.

Rusedski advanced to the final with a victory over feisty qualifier Xavier Malisse. He was broken just three times in the tournament.

Plagued by foot injuries last year, Rusedski had not advanced to a final round since October 1999. This season, he has been overhauling his mechanics to help prevent injury, and it has taken him to three semifinal rounds.

"Last year was looking miserable, my tennis career was almost gone," he said. "It's good to be back."

Despite the loss, Agassi still leads the series against Rusedski 3-2.

In the doubles final Sunday, fourth-seeded Mark Knowles of the Bahamas and American Brian MacPhie defeated Americans Gambill and Jonathan Stark 6-3, 7-6 (4).