Agassi draws even with famous partner

The first quarter of the tennis year -- highlighted by the Australian Open as well as the Indian Wells, Calif., and Miami combined men's and women's events -- wrapped up on the weekend with the finals of the Nasdaq-100 Open in Miami.

After Serena Williams's 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) victory over Jennifer Capriati on Saturday and Andre Agassi's 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 win over Roger Federer yesterday, the most coveted titles so far in 2002 have been spread among six players.

The same does not apply to men's doubles, as Toronto's Daniel Nestor and Bahamian partner Mark Knowles, seeded second, completed a sweep of the early season triple crown by beating top-seeded Americans Don Johnson and Jared Palmer 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in Saturday's final of the Nasdaq-100.

Starting with their victory at the Australian Open in January, Nestor and Knowles have reached six finals in a row, winning four of them.

With his share of his Miami prize money -- $74,000 (all figures U.S.) -- Nestor has $315,377 in earnings, more than half his career best $562,695 in 1999. And that's with a chronically painful left elbow that has greatly reduced his singles play.

Next weekend, Nestor leads Canada's Davis Cup team against Chile at The Corral in Calgary. The Chilean team features hard-hitting Fernando Gonzalez, who upset Pete Sampras last week at the Nasdaq-100, as well as Marcelo Rios. But that's only if former No. 1-ranked Rios decides his knee tendinitis, which forced him to retire after splitting two thrilling (6-7, 6-4) sets of his semi-final with Agassi last Friday, will allow him to play.

Yesterday, Agassi, who will turn 32 next month, was coasting to an uneventful victory over a strangely ineffectual Federer, 20, until he lost his serve in the fourth game of the third set, a turn of events that breathed new life into the Swiss.

It didn't last, however, and Agassi held on to claim a record fifth Nasdaq-100 Open title and reach another milestone in his remarkable career.

With Steffi Graf looking on from the stands, Agassi needed 2 hours 20 minutes under a sweltering south Florida sun to equal his wife's mark of five tournament wins at the Miami event, and collect his 700th career singles win.

Agassi became just the ninth player to reach the plateau, joining some of the game's greats including Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker and Jimmy Connors, who tops the list with 1,155.

"The way things are going I have a shot at passing her [Graf]because I know she's not gonna win another one," laughed Agassi, who has reached the Miami final seven times in 16 years. "I'm moving up in the household."

He admitted that he "got a little flat in the third," and "If you fall off your game just a touch, guys like Roger are way too good and talented" not to make opponents pay for it.

Then, trailing 2-4 in the fourth set, Agassi reignited, breaking serve twice to take the set and the title.

He was particularly emotional after the final point, raising his arms, shouting and doing his signature four-sided bows to the crowd.

"It's been a long road for me," he mused. "I haven't played a lot of tennis over the last five months. These last six weeks -- going through a wrist injury, going through a new coach [Australian Darren Cahill]-- it's been a tough go. So it means a lot to me."

The Williams-Capriati final was fascinating for the number of plot turns and the way strokes of genius alternated with flagrant misfires.

For Capriati, it was hauntingly similar to last year when she failed to convert eight match points in a loss to Serena's sister Venus in the final. She had seven set points in the second set and, except for a double fault, didn't play them poorly.

Williams rose to the occasion, saving the set points with powerful serving or forcing ground strokes -- as well as one with a sensational cross-court dash to reach and return a well-struck Capriati volley that looked destined to send the match into a third set.

"She played really well on those important points," said Capriati, who two months ago was on the other side of a similar situation, surviving four match points against Martina Hingis in the Australian Open final. "It's not like I gave it away. She really earned it."

Williams prevailed despite 59 unforced errors (and 31 winners). "Seemed like I couldn't move my feet for a while," she said. "Then it just came through for me at the end."

After the shrill, screeching noises of rubber soles on hard courts over the past three months, from now until the end of the French Open on June 9, it'll be the scratchy, shuffling sounds of professional tennis players with their feet on clay. ttebbutt@globeandmail.ca