MIAMI, March 25 -- Andre Agassi broke the vaunted serve of Pete Sampras in a third-set tie-breaker Sunday after winning 19 straight points bridging the second and third sets to win the Lipton Championships men's title 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3). The championship was decided by a tie-breaker for the first time in the 11-year history of the Lipton Championships and narrowed Sampras's lead over Agassi for No. 1 ranking to 227 points. Sampras, who has been No. 1 for 100 straight weeks, was denied a record third straight Lipton crown. Tie-breakers have been a strong point of Sampras's game, but this year he has gone 1-9 in tie-breakers, while Agassi improved to 6-1 in 1995 tie-breakers. Trailing 2-3 on serve, Sampras could not handle the pace of Agassi's return and the winner wrapped up the match on his first of three chances, two hours and 13 minutes after they began on the Key Biscayne court in perfect conditions. Against Sampras, Agassi is 4-1 in tie-breakers and improved his match record in their career rivalry to 7-8. This year, they played each other in the Australian Open, with Agassi winning the Grand Slam, and the Newsweek Cup, which Sampras won. Sampras had won four of their previous five matches on hardcourts. 'He kicked my butt,' Agassi said of the Newsweek Cup. 'So I told my dad, who was having open-heart surgery, that I'd get him this week. I'd like to dedicate this to my father,' the Las Vegas, Nev., native said of his second Lipton crown.
This was the first time a Lipton final featured the world's top two players and the first time in seven years that the top two seeds at the tournament reached the final. 'When it came down to the breaker, I played a little cautious and he really kept me deep,' Sampras said. 'It came down to a couple points. I'm disappointed.' As for the tide-turning stretch that began in the second set, Sampras said 'thanks for reminding me. 'He got into rhythm on my serve,' said Sampras, who in the first set had six aces to Agassi's one, then none in the second set and three in the third. 'He played a lot better and raised his tennis a notch. Before I knew it, it was one-all.' Neither player was quite at the top of his game but the competitiveness fulfilled the expectations of an exciting match. 'Pete was serving so big to start,' Agassi said. 'He can really extend a 3-0 lead into 6-1, 6-3 (victory) really fast,' Agassi said. 'We both were busting our butts. I want to thank Pete for coming out there and being such an incredibly class act, win or lose.'
