Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, September 12, 1994 TAG: 9410210006
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
Agassi never lost his serve in his 6-1, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 victory, putting on such a commanding show that he beat the 1991 Wimbledon champion in every phase of the game.
``I'm still in a state of shock,'' Agassi said after receiving the $550,000 winner's check and the silver trophy. His girlfriend, actress Brooke Shields, stood by, snapping photos of the moment.
``It's quite amazing what I pulled off,'' Agassi said. ``I can't believe it. It's been an incredible two weeks for me.''
No unseeded player had ever beaten five seeds, as Agassi did. None had beaten more than three. To win this title, Agassi had to beat, in order, No.12 Wayne Ferreira, No.6 Michael Chang, No.13 Thomas Muster, No.9 Todd Martin and No.4 Stich.
The only other champion to beat five seeds was Vic Seixas in 1954, when 20 players were seeded.
No player ever won a Grand Slam dressed like Agassi, with his black cap, black shorts and black socks, nor did any other champion have his shoulder-length hair and gold earrings.
But the image-is-everything player once again proved there is substance behind his style, and it came in the form of rocketing returns of serve, compact ground strokes and all-court pressure.
He played better in this match than he did even in winning Wimbledon two years ago in five sets.
Agassi dominated Stich at the start and at the most crucial times throughout the match.
Nothing was working for Stich, least of all his most important weapon: the serve. His frustration was visible in the way he bowed his head and it was audible in the way he shouted angrily at umpire David Littlefield, asking him at one point, ``Are you American?''
Littlefield, from Florida, didn't penalize Stich for any of the repeated outbursts, and he let Stich have his way when he asked to change a linesman.
``I was holding serve so handily, it threw him for a loop,'' Agassi said.
In the final set, when Agassi broke Stich for the last time to take a 6-5 lead, one of the shots came at close range and hit Stich in the wrist.
``I just wanted to make him a little hesitant to get that close to the net,'' Agassi said. ``I don't come here to hit somebody; I just wanted to win the point.''
Agassi tossed away his racket and dropped to his knees when his last backhand into an open court sealed the match.
Keywords:
TENNIS
by CNB