30 August 2010
Tie Breakers to Remember
For Grand Slam tension, it's hard to beat a U.S. Open tie breaker.
Pete Sampras vs. Andre Agassi
Quarterfinals, 2001
This match between Sampras and Agassi was stunning even by their lofty standards. Their pace and precision made it one of the greatest Open showdowns ever. Both played aggressively, without giving an inch or faltering for a moment. Over 338 points, there were 178 winners and only 59 unforced errors.
The rivals held serve game after game after game. Sampras faced only three break points and produced 25 aces against the game's best returner, while Agassi confronted only six break points and came up with 18 aces of his own.
Before the fourth-set tie breaker, the packed house gave both players a rousing ovation. "It was chilling," Agassi said later. "I've never experienced that."
Facing a fitter opponent, Sampras raced to a 6-3 lead in the tie breaker. Agassi saved two match points, but at 6-5, his final forehand found the net, giving Sampras a 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) victory.
Tracy Austin vs. Martina Navratilova
Final, 1981
Jimmy Connors vs. Aaron Krickstein
Fourth Round, 1991
Justine Henin vs. Jennifer Capriati
Semifinals, 2003
Pete Sampras vs. Alex Corretja
Quarterfinals, 1996
Sampras lost his friend and coach, Tim Gullickson, to a brain tumor in May 1996, lost at Wimbledon and missed the Olympics because of injuries. The defending United States Open champion, Sampras was shaken and faced a surprising challenge from Corretja, and from himself. Sampras sprayed 68 unforced errors, and poor conditioning had him calling for the trainer and giving up on shots in the fifth set.
After losing the second point of the fifth-set tie breaker, Sampras wandered from the baseline, doubled over and threw up. The umpire called a code violation for delay of serve, which rallied the crowd to Sampras's side. Sampras dragged himself to the line and served a ball Corretja could not handle.
Between points, he leaned on his racket or rested, head down, hands on knees. Occasionally, he would look to the sky as if asking Gullickson for support. He blew a match point, then failed to run down a shot, giving Corretja match point at 7-6.
Attacking the net despite a 79-mile-per-hour first serve, Sampras staved off defeat with a desperate forehand volley. Then he angled in a perfect second serve for his 25th ace. Undone, Corretja double-faulted, and the match finally belonged to Sampras, 7-6 (5), 5-7, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7). He needed two liters of intravenous fluids to recover. He ended up winning the tournament.
Although the tie breaker might have felt unending to Sampras, it was not close to the longest in Open history. Goran Ivanisevec won a third-set tie breaker against Daniel Nestor, 20-18. In the same round, Mats Wilander beat Jaime Oncins, 18-16, in a third-set tie breaker.
Steffi Graf vs. Pam Shriver
Quarterfinals, 1985
Andre Agassi vs. James Blake
Quarterfinals, 2005