Keyboard Quarterbacks

By Mike Casey

Let's be honest. No one came to Arthur Ashe Stadium last night expecting Andre Agassi to win. We knew all about his balky back, his 36 years, and what little we knew about his opponent, Marcos Baghdatis, was enough for many of us to consider last night's match a grand finale for a brilliant champion.

Well, a funny thing happened. Three hours and 49 minutes later, Agassi was blowing kisses to the crowd, celebrating one of the most shocking outcomes in U.S. Open history.

But what made the match so great was not just the unexpected result. It was that the unexpected kept happening... Over, and over, and over again, until there wasn't one ounce more of drama to be squeezed out of the 23,000-seat stadium.

Agassi took the court to flashbulbs and thunderous applause, with many fans believing it would be their last chance to salute the 21-year pro.

But he quickly dispelled any notions that his 'final match' would be a walkover, breaking Baghdatis to go up 4-3 in the first set. Almost immediately, you could sense something special happening.

When Agassi broke Baghdatis again in the second set, the crowd finally allowed itself to believe their favorite had a chance to win. Baghdatis looked lost; nothing like the up-and-coming player we'd heard about leading up to the match. Agassi was in control, poised to end the match in straight sets if he could get another break, which by this point, seemed inevitable.

But instead it was Baghdatis who broke Agassi in the third set, taking it by a score of 6-3. It was a match again. . . or so it seemed.

Agassi roared back, winning the first four games of the fourth set, twice breaking Baghdatis' serve and again looking the dominant player. I briefly contemplated an escape to the parking lot to beat the traffic. 'Do tennis matches even have traffic?' I wondered. I decided they didn't and remained in my seat.

I'm glad I did, because 15 minutes later, Baghdatis had turned the match completely around again. Cheered on by a small rooting section in the upper deck, he evened the set at 4-4, and now it was Agassi who looked lost and helpless. Suddenly, he was as old and slow as we expected him to be.

Baghdatis finished off the fourth set, and then broke Agassi's serve in the first game of fifth set. The capacity crowd, raucous all night, grew quiet, sensing impending disaster.

But here again, an unxpected turn. Agassi broke back to tie it at 1-1. The two traded service holds until it was 4-4 in the fifth.

That's when things got even more strange/bizarre/dramatic/(you can come up with your own word here, because at this point, I'm out of vocabulary).

At the end of a rally, Baghdatis' right leg gave way. He rolled around on the ground for a few seconds before a trainer finally approached him. The problem was obviously a severe cramp, but Baghdatis had already used his injury timeout, so the trainer could do very little to help him.

The anticipated climax of a fifth-set tiebreaker between the two combatants was shattered in an instant. "Is that it?" people asked one another. "Will he be able to go on?"

Incredibly, Baghdatis made it to his feet, and putting up his hand, indicated to Agassi he was ready to continue. Think Rocky vs. Apollo Creed in the 15th Round.

But even with Baghdatis back on his feet, it seemed an unfair fight. Agassi would surely exploit the Cypriot's lack of mobility. The match which had been building to a satisfying crescendo would end with a sudden thud.

That's when Agassi's concentration disappeared. Obviously distracted by his opponent's plight, he began missing his first serves -- badly -- and suddenly found himself down a break point. Baghdatis, meanwhile, had summoned the inner strength to return ball after ball after ball, with most of his shots off of one leg.

Agassi fought off that break point, forcing a deuce. And then another break point. And another deuce. And another break point. And another deuce. Eight in all, until finally Agassi held serve.

Minutes later, Agassi took a 30-40 lead and held a match point. But again, the wounded Baghdatis found a way to survive. He won the 10th game, tying the set at 5-5. Agassi held again to make it 6-5, and then earned double match point on Baghdatis' serve.

The 21-year-old saved both those points, sending his supporters into a frenzy.  The tiebreaker fans had been preparing themselves for was just two Baghdatis points away. But the final plot twist had already unfolded.

Agassi gained the advantage and finally finished off his young opponent, 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 7-5.

When the match was over, I did something I probably shouldn't have done -- I broke the sacred code of "no cheering in the press box." (Then again, I wasn't in a press box, I was in the stands amongst cheering fans.) I clapped not just for Agassi, but for Baghdatis too. After what I had just seen, I figured a little applause from an embedded journalist wouldn't draw much attention anyway. Everyone else was caught up in the moment, and so was I.

Moments earlier, I had heard an older gentleman sitting behind me say, "This is the best tennis match I've ever seen."

It may be the best tennis match any of us ever sees. I'm just grateful I was there to see it.

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