ATP Finals Flashback: Roger Federer tops Andre Agassi to lift first title

In 2003, the Masters Cup returned to the United States for the first time since 1989, staged on the outdoor hard court at the Westside Tennis Club in Houston. It was the first Masters Cup on an outdoor court since 1974 and Melbourne when the surface was grass, gathering a high-quality field of competitors led by Andy Roddick, Juan Carlos Ferrero, and Andre Agassi. Still, the Wimbledon champion Roger Federer defeated all five rivals to grab his first trophy at this level, playing his second Masters Cup. In the round-robin stage, Roger had to dig deep to oust Agassi, beating the American 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 after saving two match points in the deciding tie break, with two rivals meeting again in the title match. Federer proved too tough to handle for the veteran, scoring a 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 triumph in an hour and 36 minutes after a rain delay on November 16, winning his first Masters Cup and his seventh title in that fantastic season.

Agassi won the Australian Open and Miami at the beginning of the season and stayed in touch with much younger opponents to secure another Masters Cup berth, making a debut 15 years earlier in 1988 at 18 and trying to win the second title after 1990. He stood no chance in this final, though, as Roger dropping just 17 points in 12 service games against one of the best returners ever, never facing a break point. The Swiss was sharp and aggressive, determined to keep the points on his racquet and avoid the longer rallies against the more experienced player who was still one of the world's best baseliners. Despite that fact, Andre was outplayed in almost every segment, losing 46% of the points in his games and never finding a proper answer for the well-balanced and smart tennis produced by the young Swiss. As usual in his great triumphs, especially in these early years, Federer kept his backhand safe and gained the freedom to attack with his forehand and stay pumped and confident in everything he planned to do.

The American often served at Roger's backhand, and the youngster was ready for that pattern, allowing Andre to his just 13 service winners and getting a chance to impose his shots after a deep return. The groundstrokes were not there for the home favorite, making too many errors and failing to open the court and place some comfortable winners that he needed badly against such a strong rival. We saw just a few good combos of serve and groundstroke from Andre, with Roger stealing the show after hitting winners from all over the court and defending well from his weaker backhand wing to keep his rival weak and vulnerable. Federer moved around the court with mesmerizing efficiency, ready to hit almost every ball in full swing and defend his backhand with slices and slower shots that would take the pace away and left Agassi with nothing to work with.

In 2003, Roger Federer defeated Andre Agassi in Houston for Masters Cup crown.

Also, Federer hit nine winners from his backhand, an excellent addition to a vast number of direct points from the forehand side, using every opportunity to push down the line strokes that did a lot of damage to his rival. Andre's backhand was off, and it couldn't give him the upper hand in the crosscourt exchanges, finishing the encounter with just two winners from that wing. In the final set, Agassi took control at least in his service games and forced many errors from Roger, unable to repeat that regularly as his groundstrokes lacked depth and power against the opponent who didn't leave him any room. Roger had 25 service winners against 13 from Andre and dismantled him completely in the field's direct points, having a 26-11 advantage. His forehand was lethal, notching 15 winners from that shot and forcing a lot of errors from Andre, firing almost as many winners from his backhand as the American had in total.

Agassi sprayed 19 unforced errors, never finding the timing and rhythm, while Roger stayed on 12, a great number considering how many direct points he had. Only four of those came from his backhand, which illustrates how well he played on that day. The Swiss finished the clash with more forced errors, 16 to 13, but that couldn't impact the overall scoreboard. They concluded 66% of the shortest range points up to four strokes, and Roger had a clear 60-36 advantage in them thanks to a fantastic display on serve and the first groundstroke.

He overpowered Andre in the mid-range exchanges, winning 20 out of 32 and leaving the American with a slight advantage in the most extended rallies where he had a slim 9-7 lead. The Swiss grabbed a break in the fourth game and served well to clinch the opener 6-3. Roger was the only player on the court in set number two, delivering a bagel and thundering towards the finish line. Agassi survived a couple of challenging service games at the beginning of the third set, only to get broken at 4-4 and allow Roger to seal the deal with another comfortable hold in game ten that carried him towards the title.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/33oxKP5