Ageless Andre survives five-set thriller against Baghdatis

AGELESS Andre Agassi continued to defy the odds and elude retirement by shocking number eight seed Marcos Baghdatis in a five-set thriller on Thursday to advance to the third round of the US Open.

Spurred on by a raucous crowd of nearly 24,000 at Arthur Ashe Stadium that cheered his every shot, 36-year-old unseeded Agassi edged the Australian Open finalist 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 7-5.

Agassi, playing the final tournament of his illustrious career, needed a cortisone shot for his ailing back after his excruciating four-set win over Andrei Pavel on Monday.

But he took centre stage on Thursday night looking fresh, relaxed and ready to have some fun.

His precision groundstrokes kept the 21-year-old Cypriot off-balance early in the match, forcing him into repeated mistakes, especially on the backhand side.

Baghdatis committed 40 unforced errors in the first two sets but settled down in the third, breaking Agassi’s serve to take a 5-3 lead before serving out for the set.

Agassi held a 4-0 lead in the fourth and appeared ready to close out the match and prepare for German qualifier Benjamin Becker in the third round.

But the hard-serving Baghdatis suddenly found his game, his legs, and his stamina to win seven of the next eight games to force a decisive fifth set.

They exchanged early breaks in the final set but with Baghdatis serving at 5-6 and battling severe cramps in both thighs, Agassi broke the the Cypriot’s serve to close out the three-hour, 48-minute contest.

“I got up 4-0 in the fourth set but it wasn’t my back that was getting tight, it was my throat, my breathing,” a smiling Agassi told the crowd. “I fought so hard. This means the world to me.”