There was always a danger that France's Arnaud Clement, having reached his first grand slam final, indeed only the third singles final of his career, might end up playing a bit part in the great Andre Agassi road show. And so it proved, as the 30-year-old American won his third Australian Open title 6-4 6-2 6-2 with business-like efficiency.
"Arnaud, escargot" a lone Australian voice rhymed out with stentorian glee during the third set, which was both pitiless and unjust, for Clement is the fastest man on the circuit, a fleetness of foot that on occasions made Agassi, a nice little mover himself, appear decidedly ponderous. Perhaps the reference to a snail was because the man from Las Vegas was simply pounding the Clement carapace to tiny bits.
"I have beaten him two time before but today his game was two or three levels higher," said Clement. "It was impossible to beat him today. Impossible. He was just too strong."
Having played his dramatic semi-final against fellow Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean with the roof of the Rod Laver stadium closed because of intermittent rain, the 23-year-old Clement reverted to his prescription wraparound sunglasses for a Melbourne day that might have been plucked from the Cote d'Azur.
There was no doubting the clarity of his vision in the opening service game, which Clement took to love, but thereafter Agassi, on the way to his seventh grand slam title, putting him on a par with John McEnroe, John Newcombe and Mats Wilander, was generally dominant.
There were a number of remarkable rallies and stunning shots by Clement, but Agassi was the boss, except for the third set when he suddenly appeared a little flatfooted and wary.
The Frenchman, only 5ft 8 in, was beginning to punish the Agassi serve, despite not being able to hold his own.
The first three games of this third set all went against the serve, and then Clement had four more break points as Agassi pressed hard for a decisive 3-1 lead. He achieved it, and the relief was palpable. It was, in effect, Clement's last stand. Had he levelled at 2-2 there is just a chance he might have turned the match around, as he had against Grosjean, and Agassi was all too aware of the danger.
Perhaps this was why his victory speech had more than a touch of valediction about it. Agassi did not say that he would not be back, but this was, after all, his first tournament victory since he won here last year, and although Clement clearly lacked Agassi's control, variation, and above all, experience, he frequently hit the ball harder than the American, and was certainly quicker.
As in last November's Masters Cup final, which he lost to Brazil's Gustavo Kuerten, Agassi displayed further signs of ageing. The slowing down process is as yet far from terminal, but there seems every likelihood that this could be Agassi's last year at the top with so many young and talented players breathing down his neck.
Not that such thoughts were obvious in his post-match reflections. Far from it. "I hope I can get better. That's my goal. That's what I want to do. You're always striving for the perfect, perfect game and match."
It is dangerous to make predictions about Agassi, for he has already made fools of those who wrote him off completely in 1997 when he plummeted out of the top 100. Two years later he won the French and US Opens and was runner-up to Pete Sampras at Wimbledon. Since then two Australian Opens have been bagged, but he cannot go on for ever.
Agassi's argument is that because his career has been a stop-go affair, he still has plenty left. "I think the down periods in my career have played a big part in my ability to be healthy and determined now, and I still feel that sense of hunger."
Clement has proved himself a bonny fighter, but whether he has the weapons to capture the big prizes remains in doubt. However, assuming Grosjean gets over the trauma of his semi-final defeat, these French friends could push each other into the top 10.
Australian Todd Woodbridge won his 12th grand slam title when he teamed up with new Swedish partner Jonas Bjorkman to win the men's doubles final. The fourth seeds beat Byron Black of Zimbabwe and David Prinosil of Germany 6-1 5-7 6-4 6-4 in just under three hours. It was the first time Woodbridge had linked up with Bjorkman at a grand slam since the retirement of his longtime doubles partner, Mark Woodforde, after the Sydney Olympics.
