TENNIS: Those who yearn to see Steffi Graf play again in a grand slam tournament will be hoping that Andre Agassi, who married her in 2001, emerges triumphant from his Australian Open semi-final against South Africa's Wayne Ferreira tomorrow and goes on to win the title on Sunday.
For Agassi has apparently struck a wager with his German wife, 22 times a grand slam singles winner before she retired in 1999, whereby if he wins here they will play mixed doubles in the French Open in May.
Graf, with Darren Cahill, Agassi's Australian coach, by her left side and Gil Reyes, her husband's trainer, to her right, displayed undisguised delight as Agassi swept aside France's Sebastien Grosjean 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in the opening men's quarter-final, a victory that was not quite as straightforward as the scoreline suggests, although the result was never in doubt.
"He's hitting the ball very hard and it was tough for me, because I really never served very well," said Grosjean, who was a semi-finalist here two years ago when he won the first two sets against his compatriot Arnaud Clement and then had two match points before losing in five, with Agassi beating Clement in the final.
There has been much talk of Agassi's supreme fitness but what impressed Grosjean most was the 32-year-old American's motivation. "He brings such intensity to the court. He still wants it and his motivation out there is just fantastic."
Agassi might have expected to meet Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero, the number four seed, for a place in the final. Instead, he finds himself up against the unseeded 31-year-old South African Wayne Ferreira, who in a match which finished just before midnight defeated the Spaniard 7-6, 7-6, 6-1 to reach only his second grand slam semi-final, his first having come 11 years ago in Australia when he lost to Sweden's Stefan Edberg having beaten John McEnroe in the quarter-finals.
It is a quite remarkable achievement by Ferreira, playing in his 49th consecutive grand slam, stretching back to the 1991 Australian Open. Only Edberg has topped this in the open era, with a run of 54. But whereas Ferreira has never reached a grand slam final, Agassi has won seven, including three Australian Open titles, and he holds a 10-0 career advantage over the South African, his first victory having been in 1994 and the 10th in San Jose last year.
A few days ago this tournament was being hailed as the changing of the guard as the youngsters gathered. Now two players, both playing in their 50th grand slam and with a combined age of 63, will fight it out for a place in the final, with Agassi aiming to become the third oldest winner of a slam title in the open era behind Australia's Ken Rosewall, winner of the Australian Open at the ripe old age of 37 in 1972, and Spaniard Andres Gimeno, who won the French Open in the same year as a 34-year-old.
"Andre has a certain game that brings out the worst in me, but this victory over Juan Carlos was one of my best and I have nothing to lose now," said Ferreira, whose double-fisted backhand was a telling weapon against the 22-year-old Spaniard, last year's beaten French Open finalist.
Ferrero was a huge disappointment. After his straight-sets win over the 18-year-old Croatian Mario Ancic in the fourth round, he had suggested there was no real difference between the world's top four players, who currently are himself, Lleyton Hewitt, Agassi and Russia's Marat Safin. Last night the difference was all too obvious; the other three have all won grand slam titles, whereas he has not.
Hewitt's defeat by Morocco's Younes El Aynaoui deprived the tournament of the hoped-for match-up with Agassi, but it added to the growing feeling that the American's name is engraving itself on the trophy.
"Every slam has a different sort of rhythm to it, and some of them are filled with a bunch of curves when nothing feels like it fits," said Agassi.
"There are a lot of variables that can work in your favour, depending on how you take care of the business once you are out there. Getting through is the first priority, but you need fuel in your tank. That's where I feel like it has been a good tournament for me up to now. I haven't spent any useless, unnecessary energy."
This is not true of Ferreira, playing in his 13th consecutive Australian Open, who was two sets and 4-1 down in the third round against Mardy Fish of the US.
All in all, come tomorrow, Agassi will be the overwhelming favourite to reach his fourth Australian Open final.
MEN'S SINGLES, quarter-finals: (2) Andre Agassi (USA) bt (12) Sebastien Grosjean (Fra) 6-3 6-2 6-2, Wayne Ferreira (Rsa) bt (4) Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spa) 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5) 6-1.
WOMEN'S SINGLES, quarter-finals: (2) Venus Williams (USA) bt (7) Daniela Hantuchova (Svk) 6-4 6-3, (5) Justine Henin-Hardenne (Bel) bt Virginia Ruano Pascual (Spa) 6-2 6-2.
MEN'S DOUBLES, quarter-finals: (8) Michael Llodra (Fra) and Fabrice Santoro (Fra) bt Nicolas Lapentti (Ecu) and Todd Woodbridge (Aus) 6-4 6-4, (12) Jeff Coetzee (Rsa) and Chris Haggard (Rsa) bt (3) Donald Johnson (USA) and Jared Palmer (USA) 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 7-6 (7-2).
WOMEN'S DOUBLES, quarter-finals: (6) Lindsay Davenport (USA) and Lisa Raymond (USA) bt Mary Pierce (Fra) and Rennae Stubbs (Aus) 6-1 7-5, Emmanuelle Gagliardi (Swi) and Petra Mandula (Hun) bt (5) Daniela Hantuchova (Svk) and Meghann Shaughnessy (USA) 6-4 6-2, (1) Serena Williams (USA) and Venus Williams (USA) bt (7) Kim Clijsters (Bel) and Ai Sugiyama (Jpn) 6-4 7-5.
MIXED DOUBLES, Second round: Leander Paes (Ind) and Martina Navratilova (USA) bt (3) Mark Knowles (Bah) and Elena Likhovtseva (Rus) 6-2 6-4.
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