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By Elizabeth Newman

DAILY BRUIN CONTRIBUTOR

enewman@media.ucla.edu

MARY HOLSCHER/Daily Bruin Staff

Rising American player Taylor Dent returns a shot in his 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 Round 2 loss to Xavier Malisse on July 24.

Jan-Michael Gambill left plenty of scuff marks on Stadium Court at UCLA’s Los Angeles Tennis Center during the final match of the Mercedes-Benz Cup against Andre Agassi on July 28.

Agassi won 6-2, 6-4 and dominated the match with shots that kept Gambill constantly running. Gambill later said Agassi’s shots made him feel “like a rag doll.”

“Andre’s playing better tennis than ever,” Gambill said after the match. “He is in great shape, and he has great hands.”

Agassi’s “great hands” capitalized on Gambill’s weak backhand ground strokes and volleys, shots that Gambill often attempted but many times sent into the net. In the last game of the first set, Agassi won three points off Gambill’s backhand side – after a winner put Agassi up 30-15 in the last game of the first set, it was clear Agassi was in control of the match.

Gambill played solid tennis, but his game faltered in the second set. His 26 unforced errors were fatal compared to Agassi’s 16. And Agassi’s five of six net approaches seemed stellar next to Gambill’s four of ten.

Gambill’s confidence, however, remains high as he, like many other pros, counts the weeks until the U.S. Open.

“I was never frustrated out there,” said Gambill. “I think I played a great match.

“Andre’s short ground strokes move the ball very well ... he is the best ground stroker.”

Gambill’s serve remained strong throughout the match. He won the first game in straight points, two of which were aces, the last at 119 miles per hour.

But the sun made his strong point weak. He was broken twice in the first set, both times when he was serving into the sun. Agassi was only broken once in the match, at 4-3 in the second set. At deuce, a backhand crosscourt winner by Gambill gave him the advantage, and he finished the game with another crosscourt, which dropped short on Agassi’s forehand side and sent the crowd cheering for minutes.

Agassi’s control and ability to keep Gambill running and out of position proved too good for Gambill to overcome.

“My footwork’s getting better,” Gambill said, “but Andre still seems to direct it to the other side of the court.

“He played a better game than I did,” Gambill said.

Agassi was not fooled once in the one hour and 16 minutes it took him to win his third Mercedes-Benz title. It was his first hard court tournament of the summer and came on the heels of a second-round loss at Wimbledon.

“(Gambill) fought hard,” Agassi said. “I felt like (attacking) was the only thing to do. That was my intention and I didn’t see it any other way.”

Despite murmurs around the tennis world of his advancing age, Agassi seemed to prove doubters wrong with this win and brushed off the idea of his career coming to a close.

“I think it’s about being healthy, not 32. I train hard, so it’s not surprising I feel good.”

His veteran status, however, also brings praise from critics that put him next to other tennis greats such as Arthur Ashe, Roy Emerson and Jimmy Connors.

“Anytime you’re considered the best in anything is the ultimate compliment,” Agassi said.

As far as celebrating, he wasn’t too sure on what he was going to do.

“Sometimes it feels good to take a rest or to have a few beers ... and sometimes it’s great to get back on that court and feel it again,” Agassi said.

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