Slow-Starting Agassi Reaches Semifinals

MELBOURNE, Australia —  Andre Agassi, the master of disaster, faces fellow American Michael Chang, who has coolly demolished all his opponents in straight sets, at the Australian Open semifinals.

The Chang-Agassi match Friday should be perfect for the cerebral fan fed up with the elephant-gun power servers who have increasingly come to dominate the game.

In the other semifinal, Boris Becker will face favorite son Mark Woodforde, a member of the No. 1 doubles team now winning new respect in singles.

Agassi is making his comeback after being off the tour for 3 1/2 months while recovering from an injured chest muscle that ended his lock on the men’s No. 1 ranking.

He regained the top spot Wednesday by beating Jim Courier in a cliffhanger quarterfinal, 6-7 (7-9), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

Agassi has given the tennis fans value for money; he has had to come from behind four times and has been forced into a five-setter three times.

“I know technically I’m not starting off as aggressive as far as my footwork, and I definitely had some slow starts, but that’s not unusual for me,” he said.

Agassi’s serve is not overwhelming, but he has a punishing return and an especially wicked down-the-line backhand. He has an uncanny ability to see and react accurately to an oncoming ball, and has proved his endurance under pressure.

The long, hard struggle Agassi has had in Melbourne contrasts with Chang’s clockwork straight-set victories over five opponents.

Smaller than his adversaries, Chang scrambles about the court on a pair of legs that could give him a second career in marathons, and plays a wily game, outwitting his opponents.

And he has as much endurance as Agassi, though he hasn’t had to call on it lately. He made it to the semifinals by beating Mikael Tillstrom of Sweden, 6-0, 6-2, 6-4.

“I have been put in the position where I’m playing guys that are a bit taller than I am, maybe a little bit bigger, a little bit stronger,” Chang said. “God has given me a good pair of legs, and I think he has given me a good mind to try and think things through.”

And the Prince company has given Chang a racket an inch longer than normal to put some extra snap in his serves and returns, offsetting his height disadvantage against the opposition.

Courier said that Chang “must be playing very, very well to get through as easily as he has. He hasn’t played someone of the caliber of Andre at this point, and it should be a good match.”

Agassi has beaten Chang nine of 13 times, but figures that gives him no advantage.

“What matters is real clear, which is Friday,” Agassi said. “And what doesn’t matter is real clear, which is today and yesterday.”

Five years ago, Becker was so ecstatic over winning the Australian Open that he ran out of the stadium and through Flinders Park screaming for joy.

Though he has always been high in the ratings since then, he has had little joy at the Australian Open, winning only two matches until this year.

Becker, ranked No. 4, is a favorite of the crowds, and at his best can beat anyone. Last year, at Wimbledon, he took down his old nemesis, Agassi, in the semifinal.

Becker’s big serves and acrobatic volleys are always dangerous, and he advanced Wednesday with a 6-4, 7-6 (9-7), 6-1 victory over No. 6 Yevgeny Kafelnikov.

“I think he was off-guard with my strokes from the back, he didn’t think I could play as well from the backcourt,” Becker said. “Plus my serve was on, so he was under constant pressure throughout the whole match.”

Becker’s surprise opponent is Woodforde, the man who beat the man who beat Pete Sampras.

Woodforde, 30, is better known with partner Todd Woodbridge as half of “The Woodies,” the world’s No. 1 doubles team. However, the Woodies were knocked out of the doubles in the first round here.

The unseeded Woodforde advanced to the quarterfinals with a straight sets victory over Mark Philippoussis, the Melbourne teenager who knocked Sampras off.

Woodforde then polished off No. 7 Thomas Enqvist of Sweden, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, Wednesday night to get his chance at Becker. The crowd came to its feet for Woodforde, the first Australian to reach the semifinals since Pat Cash in 1988.

Woodforde has never before reached even a quarterfinal of a Grand Slam tournament until this tournament.